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A few weeks back, my dentist abruptly stopped me midway through a dental cleaning. When I brought up concerns about enamel erosion, she retorted sharply, “That’s a misconception; we’re well-trained!” This response was delivered with the same brisk assurance I’ve observed amongHong Kong’s overstretched medical staff. While she wasn’t incorrect, her rush to uphold her professional reputation prevented her from turning my apprehension into confidence—just 15 seconds of attentive listening could have made all the difference.
For many years, physicians have been revered as caring healers with gentle touch and empathy. However, modern healthcare systems, focused primarily on efficiency rather than personalized patient care, frequently offer limited opportunities for attentive listening or emotional engagement.
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As Hong Kong gets ready to establish its latest medical school How can we develop a system that reinstates human consideration in decision-making processes where panels favor STEM expertise for its clinical rigor over viewpoints from service design or behavioral sciences?
Picture a healthcare system where a geriatrician’s expertise in palliative care protocols aligns with their understanding of behavioral economics, enabling them to transform dementia wards into environments that soothe agitation without relying heavily on medication. Worldwide, trailblazing professionals like Dr. Vonda Wright—an orthopedic surgeon who has amassed more than 30,000 followers on YouTube—are still anomalies rather than part of a structured systemic effort. Should medical training be solely financed to fulfill regulatory standards, we'll continue engaging merely in theoretical discussions about adopting a genuinely interdisciplinary method.
Although certain research indicates that doctors who exhibit empathy can directly influence their patients’ clinical results, how this empathetic approach is fostered and incorporated into medical education remains largely unexplored territory. Should such training be consistently assessed and incentivized, it has the potential to revolutionize health care from the perspectives of both practitioners and individuals receiving treatment.
Suggestions for establishing the new medical school should incorporate insights from areas like service design, behavioral science, and architecture to enhance curriculum creation and foster settings that prioritize patient-centered care. By integrating specialized knowledge with people-focused approaches, these domains will offer broader perspectives on tackling contemporary healthcare issues.
Healthcare systems encounter vulnerabilities when they neglect human elements. Similarly, autonomous vehicle firms discovered that disregarding user psychology can lead to issues. over-reliance on semi-autonomous systems led to crashes and lawsuits In healthcare, overlooking patient experiences and clinician burnout can lead to comparable system failures.
Service design frameworks provide methods for incorporating empathy into healthcare systems. For instance, Portugal’s revamped National Electronic Health Record system has unified stakeholder objectives, traced patient pathways, eliminated redundant tests, and enhanced overall healthcare efficiency across the country.
The lack of physicians doesn't constitute a personnel emergency; rather, it serves as a project specification.
Rennie Kan, Kai Tak
Tighter implementation of transportation regulations is necessary.
The Transport Department's introduction regarding new rules "adhering to global vehicle construction and maintenance standards" as well as stricter automobile safety measures rule for children fail to consider practical enforcement. Similar to the idling regulation introduced in 2011, I anticipate that these new rules will rarely be upheld by traffic police, who appear indifferent towards violations such as unauthorized parking or disregarding red lights and crosswalks.
The placement of a banner on Ice House Street by the police to warn drivers about potential video surveillance and prosecution may have limited impact since, from what I understand, the cameras aren’t actually set up yet.
Mark Peaker, The Peak
Offering moral judgments about basketball gambling isn't beneficial.
The letter titled "Legalizing basketball gambling is a bad decision" ( March 11 ), totally neglected the reality that unregulated and illegal gambling is a multibillion-dollar business not taxed by the Hong Kong government. Illicit gambling revenue has been often pocketed by shady operators who couldn't care less about social responsibility.
There is indeed a genuine, practical, and pressing requirement for legitimate gambling venues overseen by skilled and conscientious managers such as the Hong Kong Jockey Club. This organization operates under strict regulations, functions without profit motives, contributes substantial sums in taxes, and plays an important role in funding various community initiatives, particularly support and care programs for individuals struggling with problem gambling. In contrast, illegal operations fail to meet these standards entirely.
Moralistic rhetoric is unlikely to effectively address issues like widespread illegal gambling on basketball games.
Francis Lo, North Point
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