You searched for whole person care - CLOSLER

August 6, 2025 | 1 min read

A better way to care

A patient’s anger showed me I needed to recognize his suffering and not simply offer a diagnosis. True care means moving beyond technical skill to connect with the whole person.

March 17, 2025 | 7 min read

Caring and uncaring in medicine and beyond

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

Every moment in medicine, and in life, we have the choice to base our actions in caring.

February 13, 2024 | 3 min read

Unsent letters from a palliative care doctor to a patient and her dog

By Lingsheng Li, MD, MHS, University of California, San Franscisco

Sometimes we never get the chance to tell a patient what we admire about them. After my patient died, I realized I’d been inspired by the inner strength she showed by caring for her dog despite health and life challenges.

April 5, 2018 | 5 min read

Remaking Medicine Whole

By Gregory Frichionne, MD, Harvard Medical School

A review of "Whole Person Care: Transforming Healthcare" by Tom Hutchinson, MB, McGill University.

Saint Brides Bay (Bae Sain Ffraid), Pembrokeshire, Wales, Author's Photo.

January 24, 2019 | 4 min read

Cultivating Caring

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

Compassion begins with caring for ourselves and working to grow as full human beings. It is not just the lives of our patients that depend on us learning this component of caring, the quality of our own lives depend upon learning this as well.

August 15, 2019 | 1 min read

The Circle of Whole Health

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

You can use the Circle of Health to support veterans in coming home in heart, mind, body, and spirit.

untitled, by David Kopacz

July 21, 2022 | 7 min read

Building Cultures of Caring

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

We must care for ourselves to care for others. One great place to start is practicing self-compassion.

November 9, 2021 | 3 min read

Giving Exceptional Care Without Exception

A one-liner works in comedy but leads to biases in medicine. Listening, getting to know, and learning from each patient will allow you to serve them best.

March 19, 2025 | 3 min read

Lessons from caring for Syrian refugees

By Nagina Khan, PhD, University of Kent

Seek to understand the unique cultural context of patients who have undergone trauma. This is paramount to building trust and providing effective care—especially for vulnerable populations, like refugees.

May 15, 2025 | 1 min read

You don’t want to miss

While vigilance in patient care is paramount, healthcare professionals must also look out for their own personal well-being. Cultivating these skills can ultimately improve the health of both patients and clinicians.

November 15, 2018 | 3 min read

You’re Always a Provider, Even in the Coffee Line

By Ishwaria Subbiah, MD, MS, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Opportunities to ease distress extend beyond the bedside and outside of the clinic to every interaction with our patients and also their caregivers.

October 10, 2019 | 2 min read

Our Greatest Teachers

By Vivek Murthy, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

To find meaning in your clinical work, search for the words and moments that affirm your shared humanity with patients.

June 2, 2022 | 2 min read

‘68 Chevy Camaro

By Jennifer Eitingon, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

If we limit the way we view our patients, we will miss out on what makes them who they are. By taking time to learn more about them as people, we can connect and offer better care.

March 27, 2025 | 1 min read

“Breaking bad news”: a poem

By Miriam Colleran, MD, St. Brigids Hospice & Naas General Hospital, Ireland

I wrote this poem to explore sharing and receiving challenging news from the perspective of both clinician and patient. Reflecting on situations from multiple points of view enhances my ability to empathize.

December 14, 2023 | 2 min read

Listening for meaning

By Ben Roberts, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, ACHPN, Johns Hopkins Medicine

In my palliative care career, I’ve learned that aligning care with patient goals is one of the most important parts of clinical excellence. To do this, I listen to truly understand what the patient wants.

May 1, 2024 | 2 min read

The patient’s voice: a doctor’s song

By Sujay Pathak, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

A clinician who heals truly listens without judgment and sees things from the patient's perspective.

December 9, 2021 | 4 min read

3 Lessons From Coach Ted Lasso

By Claire Crawford, MSW, PhD, Texas Childrens , Jared Rubenstein, MD, Baylor College of Medicine

Apple TV’s “Ted Lasso” shares a simple message—be kind. We can never truly know what it’s like to walk in another person’s shoes. Curiosity, instead of judgment, helps us give better patient care.

November 5, 2018 | 2 min read

Providing Holistic Care

By Nancy Hutton, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Excellence in clinical care requires intellectual rigor, keen observation, empathic communication, an understanding of the context in which the patient lives, and consideration of the individual patient as the center of care.

Encourage caregivers to get support.

September 8, 2021 | 2 min read

How to Mitigate Caregiver Burnout

By Simone Lescott, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Caring for a loved one can be emotionally exhausting. Remind caregivers to prioritize self-care and encourage them to seek support from others.

June 11, 2018 | 5 min read

Caring For The Patient

By Michael Carducci, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

An oncologist shares his inspiring clinical mission and values statement on noticing beauty and knowing his patients.

"Sun Rise," by David Kopacz.

August 8, 2019 | 2 min read

The Circle of Re-Humanizing Medicine

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

We need human-based medicine in conjunction with evidence-based medicine. If we only identify as scientists and not as healers, we risk dehumanizing our patients and ourselves.

"Each person is a universe."

November 13, 2024 | 2 min read

Cada persona es un Mundo

All clinicians need to spend more time listening to patients. Not doing so limits our ability to understand patients’ perspectives and needs.

October 20, 2021 | 3 min read

Rethinking the Routine in the Pursuit of Inclusion

Interprofessional team members bring a rich variety of perspectives about patients that can lead to better whole person care. Using first names among our team helps minimize power differentials.

Clinically excellent healthcare professionals maintain a growth mindset.

January 6, 2025 | 2 min read

Defining exemplary care

By Kristopher Keppel, medical student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Exceptional patient care requires "pragmatic empathy"—the artful blend of compassion and candor—combined with a holistic approach that considers the patient's broader life context.

"When a patient is riding the wave of anger, instead of defensively explaining your kind intention and clinical justification for decisions, validate their experience."

March 3, 2022 | 1 min read

Listening to my Patient’s Anger

By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When encountering an angry patient, validate feelings rather than becoming defensive.

May 7, 2024 | 2 min read

Kids in tow

By Martina Anto-Ocrah, PhD, MPH, University of Pittsburgh

I once had to bring my four children with me to an OB-GYN appointment. It reminded me that it’s important to recognize that patients may have challenges getting to clinic, and to work with them to find solutions.

I love the question “What can you tell me about what your disease means to you?” Every experience of illness is different, and this question gives the patient a chance to tell us what their life is like. How would I know, without asking the question, that my 70-year-old patient values the opportunity to re-enact the Civil War and is an aficionado of historical swordplay, and that his shortness of breath makes it hard to carry the heavy ornamental swords?

October 4, 2018 | 4 min read

Intellect, Integration, and Interaction

By Zackary Berger, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Taking good care of patients requires openness, curiosity, and honesty about all the dimensions of a patient’s life. This helps us navigate the different, intersecting domains that affect health, and achieve a measure of self-knowledge that motivates our improvement as physicians.

"Shamanic Vision." Original painting by the author. Copyright with the author.

April 2, 2020 | 4 min read

Staying Connected Inside and Out During the Pandemic

By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington

Finding creative ways to connect to ourselves and to others is more important than ever in these days of social distancing.

Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Gallery (Gallery 232), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, featuring "Daughters of Edward Darley Boit," by John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925). Photograph by Flora Smyth Zahra.

June 6, 2019 | 7 min read

May Art Museum Challenge

By Flora Smyth Zahra, MA Clin Ed, DRestDent RCS, FHEA, Kings College London, Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The art museum is a space that has lessons to teach about clinical excellence, and fosters both the personal development and professional identity formation of clinicians.

Dr. Margaret Chisolm captures a photograph of the painting, "John, 1st Baron Byron," 2013, Kehinde Wiley (American, born in 1977), at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

April 8, 2019 | 5 min read

On Looking: March Museum Visit

By Flora Smyth Zahra, MA Clin Ed, DRestDent RCS, FHEA, Kings College London, Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Visual Thinking Strategies and the Personal Response Tour are two examples of museum-based pedagogical practice that build critical thinking skills, foster empathy, and allow for reflective space away from the clinic.

"Tjulpu wiltja: bird nest basket," 2017, Ilawanti Ungkutjuru Ken, as part of "The Art of Healing: Australian Indigenous Bush Medicine," King’s College London.

July 11, 2019 | 7 min read

June Art Museum Challenge

By Flora Smyth Zahra, MA Clin Ed, DRestDent RCS, FHEA, Kings College London, Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Art captures both the ordinary and extraordinary moments of human lives throughout history, and offers insights into how to heal ourselves and one another.

A Reversed Retrogress: Scene 1 (The Purple Shall Govern) (2013), Mary Sibande. Courtesy of the artist and Somerset House London. Photograph by Flora Smyth Zahra.

October 28, 2019 | 5 min read

September Art Museum Challenge

By Flora Smyth Zahra, MA Clin Ed, DRestDent RCS, FHEA, Kings College London, Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

By providing a creative space in which healthcare professionals can build skills integral to clinical practice, while also expressing their vulnerabilities and humanity, art museum-based education can humanize healthcare and provide an antidote to burnout.

The courtyard within the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, Massachusetts. Photograph by Flora Smyth Zahra.

November 26, 2019 | 7 min read

October Art Museum Challenge

By Flora Smyth Zahra, MA Clin Ed, DRestDent RCS, FHEA, Kings College London, Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Students appreciate the opportunity to engage with one another in the sanctuary of an art museum; the setting itself fosters well-being.

April 1, 2025 | 1 min read

The PICC line

By Miriam Colleran, MD, St. Brigids Hospice & Naas General Hospital, Ireland

As a clinician, writing this poem about my daughter’s PICC line was a reminder to focus on optimizing patients’ quality of life. While a medical device can alleviate a patient’s health problem, its presence is a constant reminder of illness.

September 19, 2024 | 3 min read

Breaking the silence on bladder and sexual dysfunction

By Tamara Kaplan, MD, Brigham and Womens Hospital

Excellent clinical care requires addressing overlooked and under-treated aspects of patients' lives. This includes fostering open communication about sensitive topics and providing compassionate support.

February 11, 2019 | 5 min read

The Dots We Connect – An Interview with Dan Pink

Dan Pink distills pearls of wisdom for health professionals from his bestselling books "A Whole New Mind" and "When."

March 5, 2018 | 2 min read

Introducing Monday Mission and Values Statements

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Begin with the end in mind. ~Stephen Covey

Photograph by Dr. Margaret Chisolm.

January 30, 2020 | 6 min read

December Art Museum Challenge

By Flora Smyth Zahra, MA Clin Ed, DRestDent RCS, FHEA, Kings College London, Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The art museum is an emerging informal educational space for the health professions. Here, transformative learning theory provides educators with a model to understand how, through systematically challenging learners’ preconceived beliefs, assumptions, and values, students can grow in their developing professional role.

December 7, 2021 | 3 min read

A Window Into a Patient’s World

By Deirdre Johnston, MBBCh, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Visiting a patient’s home environment, either virtually or in person, may shed light on the source of their distress.

"L'Atelier au mimosa," Pierre Bonnard.

May 13, 2019 | 7 min read

April Art Museum Challenge

By Flora Smyth Zahra, MA Clin Ed, DRestDent RCS, FHEA, Kings College London, Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Slow looking can enable clinicians to see more deeply, think more critically, and engage more meaningfully in patient care. Time spent in a museum supports clinician wellness and nurtures student professional identity formation.

December 3, 2020 | 4 min read

The Other Side of the Glass

By Michelle Sharp, MD, MSH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Having a loved one in the ICU is one of the hardest things someone can experience. Timely and compassionate communication from clinicians to families is invaluable.

January 16, 2019 | 8 min read

An Ode to the Herculean Heart

"Heart: A History," elevates our appreciation of how our predecessors worked to better patient lives, as well as the psychosocial aspects of heart disease.

The author and her mother enjoying the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C.. Copyright by the author.

May 27, 2020 | 2 min read

The Weight of the White Coat

By Margot Kelly-Hedrick, MD, University of Washington

As the daughter of a frontline physician, and an incoming medical student, the pandemic raises questions about both personal and professional obligations. Open and honest conversations about such responsibilities are critical to professional identity formation.

"An Infinity Room Installation," Yayoi Kusama. Wikivisually.com. Public Domain.

December 19, 2019 | 5 min read

November Art Museum Challenge

By Flora Smyth Zahra, MA Clin Ed, DRestDent RCS, FHEA, Kings College London, Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The reality of clinical practice can be complex and uncertain and these sessions away from the clinics in and around the art museum space allow students through haptic exploration to become more comfortable with ambiguity.

March 6, 2025 | 2 min read

Invincible

By Roshni Beeharry, MBBS, Kings College London

Clinicians should be as person-centered as possible when caring for patients; seemingly small details, like a child's request for butterflies painted on her pink spinal jacket, can have a positive impact.

Soller, Mallorca, Spain

February 26, 2025 | 2 min read

Kindly words

By Jonathan McFarland, Medical Humanist, Autonomous University of Madrid & University of Pompeu Fabra

As Osler advised, offering a "sympathetic look" and a "cheerful greeting" can transform everyday encounters into moments of healing. We all possess the capacity to uplift others.

Guanyin, Bodhisattva of Compassion, Honolulu Museum of Art. Photo by Margaret Chisolm, MD.

March 7, 2019 | 5 min read

On Looking: February Museum Visit

By Flora Smyth Zahra, MA Clin Ed, DRestDent RCS, FHEA, Kings College London, Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The more lessons on clinical excellence we look for in art, the more we find.

June 26, 2025 | 1 min read

Touching the wound with words and hands

Our words and actions, rooted in kindness, are powerful tools for healing. We can use them to mend what is broken in patients, colleagues, and ourselves.

May 20, 2025 | 1 min read

Lessons from the Dizi

Playing the Chinese bamboo flute has enhanced my ability to listen deeply and enriched my understanding of patients.

April 3, 2025 | 3 min read

The unknown variable

By Eve Glenn, ScB, medical student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Providing excellent patient care requires being in the liminal space between scientific certainty and human ambiguity. This is a place from which to bear witness to suffering with both intellectual curiosity and deep empathy.