We call them ‘cases.’ But they’re people, and sometimes, that hits harder than expected.

General
1

“65-year-old female, hypertensive, postmenopausal, came in with complaints of chest pain…”
It rolls off the tongue in rounds. Quick, clinical, detached.

But the truth is—
She wasn’t just a case.
She was someone’s mother. She was scared.
She held her breath when we looked at her ECG, and smiled when we said, “It’s not a heart attack.”

Medicine teaches us to present symptoms, not stories.
But lately, I’ve started to pause.
To look up from the file. To meet their eyes.
To remind myself:
This is not just a case. This is someone’s whole life, intersecting with our science.

And that makes all the difference.

3 Likes
2

Patient are more than medical conditions - they are human Being with feelings . Seeing them as people not them as a cases , bring empathy into medicine and reminds us why care matters as much as cure

3

So true, here are 3 simple things that doctors can do to make patients feel more seen -

  1. Using the patients name
  2. Checking on how they are feeling
  3. Explaining what is happening by breaking down medical procedures

This way patients will feel more valued and receive care with dignity ,not just as medical cases.

1 Like
4

This reflection captures what compassionate medicine truly looks like.
You’ve beautifully shown the contrast between the clinical lens we’re trained to use and the human reality we often forget to acknowledge.

1 Like
5

Its just another case for us that we keep saying but its their loved ones who cannot be replaced.

1 Like
6

We’ve forgotten to treat humans as humans lately

And seeing them as cases we will be learning from!

1 Like