Medical doctors should think like scientists and behave like artists, psychiatrist Anton Grech said yesterday.
When they break bad news, they should not only convey a message but also provide hope or support where possible, Dr Grech, head of psychiatry at Mount Carmel Hospital, urged newly graduated doctors.
“Make sure that books, studies and conferences remain part of your everyday life, even though you are no longer students. To be competent doctors, you need to remain students while practising medicine,” he said.
Still, that was not enough because proper scientists had an analytical mind and should never take things at face value. Often, patients would already have reached their own conclusions or even heard another doctor’s diagnosis.
“Never fall in the trap of intellectual laziness and accept the conclusions that patients come up with. Carry out a scientific analysis of the symptoms, independently of what others think. Never stop asking questions and investigating, because that is what a scientist does continuously,” he said, reminding the graduates to be careful about the medicine they prescribed and to remain involved in research.
We need to use our imagination to the full to break bad news and provide hope where it’s possible and support where it’s not
At the same time, doctors had to be creative and human. Patients were first and foremost human beings who were going through a very difficult time.
“Apart from curing the illness as best we can, it is also our job to ease their suffering,” Dr Grech said, noting that the manner in which a doctor cared for a patient had a significant impact on the treatment’s effectiveness.
“I believe that the time we mostly need to behave like artists is when we break bad news to patients or their relatives. Unfortunately, this is a situation we face continuously.
“There is no good standard practice of how one gives bad news. To date, whenever I need to do this, I rack my brains and wrench my heart to find the best way to break bad news.
“This is where art comes in. As doctors, we need to use our imagination to the full to not only break the news but provide hope where it is possible and support where it’s not.”
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
Doctor of Medicine and Surgery
Sponsor: Professor Godfrey Laferla
Estelle Abela, Franklin Abela, Lauren Abela, Maria Petra Agius, Tahera Alabdullah, Haleema Alfailakawi, Richard Apap Bologna, Ruth Attard, Ian Baldacchino, Daniela Balzan, Gabriella Balzan, Cara Bezzina, Sarah Bezzina, Mario Joseph Blackman, Karl Bonavia, Sarah Bonello, Mark Bugeja, Roberta Bugeja, Robert Anthony Cachia, Leigh Joseph Calleja, Nadine Calleja Stafrace, Adrian Callus, Jessica Camilleri, Lara Camilleri, Ramona Camilleri, William Camilleri, Ethan Caruana, Kimberly Caruana, Sarah Anne Caruana Galizia, Anna Charalambous, Chris Cremona, Sarah Anne Darmanin, Mark De Bono*, Justine De Gray, Carina Marie Debattista, Dylan Debono, Daniela Deguara, Julian Delicata, Anthony Pio Dimech, Theodoulos Drousiotis, Sarah Ellul, Andrew Michael Falzon, Daniel Farrugia, Matthew Fenech, Clayton John Fsadni, Caroline Galdes, Joseph Galea, Stephanie Galea, Simon Gatt, Jessica Gauci, Julia Gauci, Edward Grech, Joanna Grech, Martha Grima, Sarah Gruppetta, Christopher Kelly, Anastasios Benjamin Konteas, Matthew Paul Kratz*, Daniele Lauretta Agius, Stephanie Magri, Petra Mallia, Simon Paul Micallef, Janine Mifsud, Maria Mifsud, Simon Mifsud, Dillon Mintoff, Malcolm Mintoff, Christine Mizzi, Ana Laura Munteanu Tirila, Phuc Tham Nguyen*, Esther Otukoya, Keith Pace, Andrew Palmier, Tiziana Pirotta, Joel Pollacco, Mark Portelli, Piyush Pranay, Kristian Walter Psaila, Keith Sacco, Elena Saliba, Jessica Sammut, Keith Sammut, Stephanie Santucci, Karen Sapiano, Karl Sapiano, Stephanie Scerri, Aaron Schembri, Emma Louise Schembri, Kirsten Schembri, Matthew Schembri, Edith Sciberras, Jan Dawid Skora, Francesca Spiteri, Jamie Stephenson, Michael Sullivan, Trevor Tabone, Charmaine Tanti, Russel Tilney, Julia Tua, Kay Vanhear, James Vassallo, Christine Vella, Sarah Marie Vella, Andrea Vella Baldacchino, Mikhail Vella Baldacchino, Daniel Vella Fondacaro, Sara Roberta Xuereb, Catriona Zammit, Lara Maria Zammit, Stefan Zammit, Ciskje Anthony Zarb and Stuart Andrew Zintilis.
Doctor of Philosophy
Sponsor: Professor Godfrey Laferla
Ian C Ellul
*In absentia