The Importance Of Empathy In Patient Care Essay Paper

The movie I, Daniel Blake (2001) revolves around a Daniel, who was a carpenter and was 59 years old widower. He had a heart attack and after that, his physician restricted him to work. For his survival, he applied for employment and support allowance. He underwent a work capability assessment in which he was asked questions and he got 12 points instead of 15 points to be incapable to work. The officer didn’t confirm any reports of Daniel’s heart attack and told him that with 12 points he is only eligible to get the jobseeker’s allowance. Another character was Katie, who was a mother of two children and reached late at the job center due to missing her bus. Because of this reason, she was told that she will not receive his full benefit and only 40% of it. Both of them were humiliated and shamed by the system which defeated them at every stage to get a good life The Importance Of Empathy In Patient Care Essay Paper.

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The main theme of the movie is the lack of empathy and compassion toward those who are suffering. I have the chance to reflect upon and think about the alternate ways these people can be treated and how can I apply these lessons to my nursing practice (Pérula-de Torres et al., 2021)

The movie demonstrated a lack of empathy in its many scenes. Regardless of his age, and also not confirming with his doctor, Daniel was refused to get help from the Employment and support allowance. He was asked a questionnaire as a part of a work capability assessment and allotted 12 out of 15 points and forced to get the job seeker’s allowance. This was very frustrating and humiliating to him. Then, Katie was refused to get a full benefit payment and provided only 40% of it without considering that she had two children to be cared for. The reason for this was absurd, the authority told her that she was late and rules are to be followed. Both were treated as if they were the only ones responsible for their poverty and that they were a burden on society.

In place of this inhuman treatment meted out to Daniel and Katie, there must be a display of empathy towards them. It had to be satisfactory if the authority would have considered the age of Daniel, confirmed with his physician, analyzed his reports, and then assessed him (Gerace, 2020). In the case of Katie, her poor condition, her two children, and the realization that just because she came late doesn’t mean that her rights must be denied to her. The authorities would have thought for a second that if they would not help them, who would? How would they survive in poverty, and by this treatment what will be their future (Ortega-Galán et al., 2021)? They would have asked themselves, are they really a burden or humans, and is a denial of their right to respect justified (Pembroke, 2019)? The Importance Of Empathy In Patient Care Essay Paper

Although the system was completely uncompassionate towards Daniel and Katie, there were many incidences in the movie that displayed empathy and compassion of the characters towards each other. Daniel was unaware of the use of computers as he was a carpenter. When he was instructed that the forms were to be filled online, he encountered a problem but fortunately, the online application for jobseeker’s allowance for Daniel was completed by his neighbor.  Daniel helped Katie to repair the objects and taught them that without electricity they can make the room warm. Also, he made some toys of wood for Katie’s children. When Daniel was advised by the work coach to work 35 hours per week to get the job seeker’s allowance, he painted graffiti rejecting the terms. In response to this act, he got the overwhelming support of the public and all the other people who were suffering from similar pain.

The Importance Of Empathy In Patient Care

In one of the most touching scenes of the movie when Daniel and Katie went to the food bank when the worker there was taking the groceries, she was taken over by her hunger and grabbed a container of beans and started eating them, and then she realized and cried. If I were Daniel, I would have shown empathy to her and said that there is nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn’t her fault. I would have felt ashamed when I was offered help from the food bank. My confidence and self-esteem would have lowered and I would have felt like it is only my mistake that I am a heart patient and cannot help myself to earn and become poor, I am responsible for my poverty but cheated by the system and proven to be healthy and working but do not want to work and therefore, a burden on the society.

Daniel was charged with dodging the system despite having a disability and prohibited to work by the doctor. Daniel was offered a job at the garden center, but he was denied because he was not allowed to work by his doctor. His officer advised him to search for a job for 35 hours a week; otherwise, he will not be able to get the allowance for job-seeking. These were the terms that he rejected by heart and therefore, he painted on the wall on one side of the office building that I, Daniel Blake demand my appeal before I starve. He got the support of the public but was arrested by the police.

When Daniel died, Katie found a letter on him. He wanted that to read as an appeal.  He wrote that he was not a service user or a client or a scrounger who is lazy and habitual of not working deliberately and just using the allowance. He is not a burden on society. Before the heart attack, he had worked hard and paid all his dues honestly. But now, he is prohibited by his physician to work, and therefore he needs an allowance to survive. He is not a fraudulent case to be punished and disrespected. Daniel wanted to be defined as a man, and not a dog. He wanted to be treated with respect and to be seen as a human being who doesn’t look for charity. As a human being, he demanded his right of having employment and support allowance.

If I were part of the system, to create empathy, I have helped Daniel and Katie to receive full benefits. I would have considered all the aspects of their poverty before making any decision (Su et al., 2020).  I can apply these learnings to my nursing practice. I can take decisions after knowing all the relevant aspects of the patient’s life and his suffering (Galetz, 2019). I can make the patient feel comfortable and I can understand how it feels.  I will listen to them and show kindness and respect towards them (Percy, Richardson, 2018). It will result in more patient cooperation, lesser readmissions, and positive health outcomes (Hofmeyer, Taylor, 2021) The Importance Of Empathy In Patient Care Essay Paper

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Conclusion:

The movie tells us that a system in which empathy and compassion are absent lacks humanity and understanding. It results in more suffering for the people and an increase in fraudulent cases. The pain suffered by Katie and Daniel shows that such a system will result in an increase in people who will not trust the system anymore and to get the benefit, they will act in a fraudulent manner and it will lead to more suffering for the honest people who actually need the allowances. At last, I learned to remain more empathetic and kind towards the sufferers and will help them to live a life with dignity.

References:

Hofmeyer, A., & Taylor, R. (2021). Strategies and resources for nurse leaders to use to lead with empathy and prudence so they understand and address sources of anxiety among nurses practising in the era of COVID?19. Journal of clinical nursing, 30(1-2), 298-305. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15520Gerace, A. (2020). Roses by other names? Empathy, sympathy, and compassion in mental health nursing. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 29(4), 736-744. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12714Percy, M., & Richardson, C. (2018). Introducing nursing practice to student nurses: How can we promote care compassion and empathy. Nurse education in practice, 29, 200-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2018.01.008Ortega-Galán, Á. M., Pérez-García, E., Brito-Pons, G., Ramos-Pichardo, J. D., Carmona-Rega, M. I., & Ruiz-Fernández, M. D. (2021). Understanding the concept of compassion from the perspectives of nurses. Nursing ethics, 28(6), 996-1009. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0969733020983401Pembroke, N. (2019). Empathic and compassionate healthcare as a Christian spiritual practice. Practical Theology, 12(2), 133-146. https://doi.org/10.1080/1756073X.2019.1586343Pérula-de Torres, L. Á., Verdes-Montenegro-Atalaya, J. C., Melús-Palazón, E., García-de Vinuesa, L., Valverde, F. J., Rodríguez, L. A., … & MINDUUDD Collaborative Study Group. (2021). Comparison of the effectiveness of an abbreviated program versus a standard program in mindfulness, self-compassion and self-perceived empathy in tutors and resident intern specialists of family and community medicine and nursing in Spain. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(8), 4340. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084340 The Importance Of Empathy In Patient Care Essay Paper