Outcomes

The impact of the Literature & Medicine program is clear.  Nationally, participants have reported a significant increase in:

Empathy for Patients 88% Cultural Awareness 78% Interpersonal Skills 74% Communication Skills 67% Job Satisfaction 62%

(2005 statistics)

In Hawai‘i, 99% of participants reported that the program helped them develop an increased sense of empathy for people from cultural and ethnic backgrounds different from their own.  A full 100% of participants reported an increase in their understanding of the role of empathy in health care as a result of the program. 

Hawai‘i participants often made specific changes in their practices as a result of participating in the Literature & Medicine program:

“I developed a set of questions inspired by our reading in the class to use with families who seemed to be resistant to the medical therapy that I was recommending.  I now use this approach in tense situations to try to better understand where the family is coming from.”

“I routinely am asked to help develop a care plan for patients near end of life particularly when family are more hopeful for recovery than the medical team.  While I feel that I always approach these situations with compassion and in a respectful way, the program has made me even more exquisitely sensitive to the challenges in communication and achieving transparency in these situations.”

“I have been more sensitive to attribute ‘non-compliance’ to differences in values and priorities rather than indifference or irresponsibility.”

“In supervising my staff and relating to others in the organization, the readings have heightened my awareness of other perspectives.”

More Hawai‘i participant comments:

“The diversity of professional strata in the group gave me a connection to them in a personal way, and we were able to acknowledge this connection outside of the group setting to personally ascertain how we felt about many other healthcare issues.”

“The program really made me reflect on the challenges in decision-making and the importance of balancing professional and personal points of view.”

“It was one of the highlights of my week . . . decent food, stimulating and thoughtful readings and discussions.”