For those of you who know me, you will know that I am a bit passionate about each of us trying to make the world a better place in our own little way. Today I listened to a TED Talk on the impact of 40 seconds of compassion expressed by health care workers to patients.
This is the blurb attached to the TED talk. https://youtu.be/elW69hyPUuI?si=k_-6A5ylcD9VdQ2A
“What if healthcare providers spent an extra 40 seconds showing compassion for their patients? The scientific evidence may surprise you. Through his pioneering work in the field of “Compassionomics”, Dr. Stephen Trzeciak has found that just 40 seconds of compassion can be a powerful therapy – not only for the receiver of compassion, but for the giver, too. It changes everything. In this TEDx talk, Dr. Trzeciak takes you on a journey through the evidence that compassion matters – in both meaningful and measurable ways. Science shows that compassionate care is beneficial for health (better patient outcomes), healthcare systems and payers (lower costs), and healthcare providers (lower burnout). That’s the power of 40 seconds. Stephen Trzeciak, MD, MPH is a physician scientist and Professor of Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, and the physician leader of the Adult Health Institute at Cooper University Health Care in Camden, New Jersey. Dr. Trzeciak is a practicing intensivist (specialist in intensive care medicine), and a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded clinical researcher with more than 100 publications in the scientific literature. Currently, Dr. Trzeciak’s scientific program is focused on a new line of research called “Compassionomics”. It’s the scientific evidence that caring makes a difference. Broadly, his quest is to make healthcare more compassionate through science. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx ”
I would encourage you to spend the few minutes required to watch this talk. It just might change your life.
Now you might think, I am not a healthcare worker so what does it have to do with me? Well the expression of compassion just like having an attitude of gratitude, has positive effects on well being for both the giver and the recipient. And the good news? Anyone can express compassion and anyone can be a recipient.
But I don’t have time to be compassionate! Let me assure you that you do! We all do. It takes very little time to express compassion and care and make a personal connection with another.
Today, I had an interaction with a non health professional lady. She took the time to get my name right, to understand my setting and situation and to even care about my health. “So what” you say. Actually that personal connection she chose to make, lifted my spirits and made my day a better day. Even if we never meet again, she made the world a better place for me today. For me in my role, it is important to care about my family, my staff and my patients and my friends. But it is not enough to just care. I need to express that. It doesn’t take much and the benefit is two way.
Forty seconds of compassion can change everything for patients, for you and for me.
Contemplations with Dr Cherelle 