Compassion in Medicine

Original Artwork | © Ninglu Weng 2023

Medium: Procreate App on iPad

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About this Piece

First impressions tend to occur within a short moment in time — a moment devoid of the past, and of limited context. Yet, much of human belief and action are premised on such fleeting observations. We are both finite and selective in what we pay attention to, let alone perceive in passivity. It takes deliberate awareness to recognize how much we supplement our scarce knowledge with our imagination and biased assumptions, in order to construct our underlying worldviews.

Medicine is a practice that demands the responsibility of questioning our first impressions, then overcoming them with mindful and principled action. It is a role where both our actions and lack thereof are directly consequential to the well-being of others, and negligent judgments can easily violate our highest ethics of care. In many ways, a commitment to medicine is a commitment to nurturing an open, diligent, and humble mind. Throughout our careers, we will constantly be challenged to adapt to improved scientific evidence, engage in difficult conservations, and address emerging health concerns. We will also encounter patients from many different walks of life, and have to tailor our care accordingly. All humans are dynamic, complex and possess a lifetime of unique experience; however, they also tend to be our quickest subjects to judge and discriminate against. Although we may never have the time nor opportunity to fully understand everyone’s story, these barriers should never preclude the necessity for us to embody universal compassion and care for our shared humanity.

I created this artwork to illustrate such unprejudiced care and compassion, as well as the physician I aspire towards being. This is a physician who looks beyond outward appearances, listens attentively, and regards their patient within the deeper context of their life. Mental and physical health are intimate parts of our mortal lives. It takes courage and vulnerability to reveal one’s suffering, let alone as an extension of an intensely shameful or stigmatized past. As physicians, we are privileged with the skills to help others heal, and the power to distance ourselves from deflected trauma. We ought to honour the sensitivity of the information we are entrusted with, as well as commit our patient care towards paths of hope and improved well-being. Recognizing where our assumptions lie, then learning to correct them are essential. Every patient is at a different point in their healing journey; it is the positive direction and unconditional dignity we have toward them that matters most.