The Inspiring Conversations Series featured a discussion about the importance of empathy and compassion in healthcare with guest speaker Dr. Adrienne Boissy, the Chief Experience Officer at the Cleveland Clinic. This virtual event was led by Tom Schreier, Founding Director of the Inspired Leadership Initiative. Through this conversation, Dr. Boissy discussed the interplay between truth and compassionate care as well as the development of empathy through client experience.
First, Dr. Boissy discussed the formation of her passion for empathy in healthcare. Dr. Boissy explained that medicine and healthcare were things that she has cared about her entire life—Her father died from leukemia when she was very young. Consequently, she grew up with an abusive, alcoholic stepfather. As a result of his behavior, her curiosity in human behavior grew, asking questions such as “Why do people behave the way he does?” and “Why would you say that to my mother?”. Her innate curiosity led to a fascination with the human brain and human behavior as well as a yearning to help patients feel heard and understood.
In order to help others understand the empathic approach, Dr. Boissy worked very hard at modeling the behavior she wanted to see from her team, her organization, and her colleagues. After all, it is easier to sit back and tell people what to do; it is much more difficult to embody your words, especially around people you do not like or particularly disagree with. Dr. Boissy called viewers to ask themselves, “What would it sound like to explore their perspective more before I make a judgement about who they are as a human?” In order to reach a level of understanding, we must step into a space of curiosity and empathy.
One of the most difficult aspects of empathic practice is the ability to empathize with one’s boss: How many times have we imagined the decisions they are facing, the weight of things, the competing priorities, inadequate preparation, etc.? How many times have we honored what they are going through? When we feel victimized or attacked, we begin to view these individuals through a two-dimensional lens rooted in simple judgement. In order to prevent this judgement, Dr. Boissy and her colleagues began training on the basis of human interaction, on bringing your whole self to your job and recognizing the humanity in every being you encounter.
Additionally, Dr. Boissy touched on questions involving issues such as gender bias and the interplay between truth and compassionate care. In regards to gender bias, Dr. Boissy is unafraid of addressing its presence: In fact, she recounts a tense conversation in which she had to say, “I’m wondering if you’d be having this conversation with Chief ______ who is a guy, because this feels very specific.” Regarding the connection between truth and compassionate care, Dr. Boissy stated that she has not met a clinician who does not want to demonstrate compassionate care. In order to do so, you must understand your patient and build a strong enough relationship to relay tougher information in the most respectful and understandable manner.
In the Q&A portion of the virtual event, Dr. Boissy answered a wide variety of questions, including the often unseen connection between the clinical and non-clinical components of healthcare: “When we think about patient experience, it is not limited to a setting.” She explained that both clinical and non-clinical components must make a commitment to patients to make everything easy for them, including accessibility. The last question she answered was about the importance of finding safe spaces and peace, especially with such a heavy occupation. Dr. Boissy voiced the importance of gratitude, for both life and your patients. In order to keep moving forward, one must look towards the little things in life.
Visit the event page for more.
