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What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 554 ratings

“A fascinating journey into the heart and mind of a physician” that explores the doctor-patient relationship, the flaws in our health care system, and how doctors’ emotions impact medical care (Boston Globe)

While much has been written about the minds and methods of the medical professionals who save our lives, precious little has been said about their emotions. Physicians are assumed to be objective, rational beings, easily able to detach as they guide patients and families through some of life’s most challenging moments. But understanding doctors’ emotional responses to the life-and-death dramas of everyday practice can make all the difference on giving and getting the best medical care.
 
Digging deep into the lives of doctors, Dr. Danielle Ofri examines the daunting range of emotions—shame, anger, empathy, frustration, hope, pride, occasionally despair, and sometimes even love—that permeate the contemporary doctor-patient connection. Drawing on scientific studies, including some surprising research, Dr. Ofri offers up an unflinching look at the impact of emotions on health care.
 
Dr. Ofri takes us into the swirling heart of patient care, telling stories of caregivers caught up and occasionally torn down by the whirlwind life of doctoring. She admits to the humiliation of an error that nearly killed one of her patients. She mourns when a beloved patient is denied a heart transplant. She tells the riveting stories of an intern traumatized when she is forced to let a newborn die in her arms, and of a doctor whose daily glass of wine to handle the frustrations of the ER escalates into a destructive addiction. Ofri also reveals that doctors cope through gallows humor, find hope in impossible situations, and surrender to ecstatic happiness when they triumph over illness.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Tucked inside a white lab coat or scrub suit is a welter of human emotions that can play a large role in a doctor’s decision-making process. Ofri, an internist at New York’s Bellevue Hospital, explores the emotional core of doctoring. Suturing together her own experiences, the plights of memorable patients, and interviews with other physicians, she examines the diverse feelings—anger, grief, shame, disillusionment, gratitude, humility, joy—that can fluster or elevate physicians. “Fear is a primal emotion in medicine,” she writes, and doctors worry about making a mistake or even killing a patient. Sadness is an occupational hazard, and “A thread of sorrow weaves through the daily life of medicine.” Then there’s empathy. Is it innate, acquired, or both, and why do third-year medical students lose it? Ofri exposes her emotional side as she recounts the story of a longtime patient, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala who finally receives a heart transplant but dies shortly after the procedure. Ofri admits, “Doctors who are angry, nervous, jealous, burned out, terrified, or ashamed can usually still treat bronchitis or ankle sprains competently.” Yet her insightful and invigorating book makes the case that it’s better for patients if a physician’s emotional compass-needle points in a positive direction. --Tony Miksanek

Review

“Taut, vivid prose . . . She writes for a lay audience with a practiced hand.”
New York Times

“In her lucid and passionate explanations of the important role that emotions play in the practice of medicine and in healing and health, Danielle Ofri tells stories of great importance to both doctors and patients.”
—Perri Klass, author of Treatment Kind and Fair

“An invaluable guide for doctors and patients.”
Kirkus Reviews

“Insightful and invigorating…makes the case that it’s better for patients if a physician’s emotional compass-needle points in a positive direction.”
Booklist, starred review

“A fascinating journey into the heart and mind of a physician struggling to do the best for her patients while navigating an imperfect health care system.”
Boston Globe

“Ofri gives voice and color to the heartbreak, stress, and joy that attends medical practice.”
Library Journal

“A fabulous read.”
Greater Good

“Essential reading in Medical HumanitiesShe weaves together personal anecdotes and medical learning in a compelling account of her medical decisions and reflections. Highly recommended.”
—Sara van den Berg, Professor of English, Saint Louis University

“Dr. Ofri's real-life experiences can be incorporated into a variety of health science curricula bringing course theory together with practical application. Readers gain critical insight into why applying theory in the practice of medicine requires empathy for the physicians.”
—Christine Whittrock, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Temple University

“Part of medical education now is not only core competencies from a factual standpoint but also a social standpoint. Dr. Ofri has a way of communicating those lessons in a clear a cogent and very personal fashion.”
—Beth Dollinger M.D., Arnot Ogden Medical Center

The perfect book for my teaching on the subject of lack of empathy in medical school students.”
—James Asa Shield, Jr., MD, Professor, Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008ED6AGS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beacon Press; 1st edition (June 4, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 4, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1204 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 233 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 554 ratings

About the author

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Danielle Ofri
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Danielle Ofri is a doctor at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. She is one of the foremost voices in the medical world today, shining an unflinching light on the realities of healthcare and speaking passionately about the doctor-patient relationship. Her newest book is "When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error."

Ofri is a regular contributor to the New York Times and is also the editor-in-chief of the Bellevue Literary Review. She lives in New York City and is determined to get through the Bach cello suites before she kicks the bucket.

Here's her TED talk on Deconstructing Perfection: https://youtu.be/CaSv741Gjlg

And her TED talk on Fear, A Necessary Emotion: https://youtu.be/yToDJlfa_Tc

She's also performed at The Moth: https://youtu.be/9h5lkiizC7M

All of Danielle Ofri's articles and events can be found at: www.danielleofri.com

You can get her monthly(ish) newsletter: https://danielleofri.com/subscribe/

Twitter: @danielleofri

Facebook: DanielleOfriMD

Instagram: danielle_ofri

(Photo Credits: Joon Park and John Abbot)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
554 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides insights for both patients and physicians. They appreciate the rich, detailed writing style with fluid prose and storytelling abilities. The book is described as engaging, captivating, and entertaining. However, some readers feel the author lacks empathy and expresses feelings too narrowly.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

57 customers mention "Insight"57 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights for both patients and physicians. They find it engaging, enlightening, and brilliantly written. The book provides a deep look into the psyche and emotional experience of being human. It deepens their understanding of doctors as human beings who happen to be tasked with making life. The human focus of the book is a lovely meditation on the humanity and at times inhumanity of medicine. Readers say it has valuable lessons anyone, especially aspiring medical students, should learn.

"...Quite the opposite on all counts. The book is engaging, enlightening, compelling, and brilliantly written...." Read more

"...Danielle Ofri writes compellingly, with insight and great empathy that is heartwarming to those of us who should know she represents a kind of..." Read more

"...It also emphasizes the importance of emotional and mental health and support in the process of becoming a physician with great, personal stories...." Read more

"...environment that challenges you at your emotional, ethical, and philosophical core, as much as it does intellectually...." Read more

37 customers mention "Writing quality"34 positive3 negative

Customers find the writing engaging and well-crafted. They appreciate the author's detailed, fluid prose and storytelling abilities. The book is described as compelling, insightful, and clear, with language that patients and doctors can understand.

"...The book is engaging, enlightening, compelling, and brilliantly written...." Read more

"...Danielle Ofri writes compellingly, with insight and great empathy that is heartwarming to those of us who should know she represents a kind of..." Read more

"...and support in the process of becoming a physician with great, personal stories...." Read more

"...Dr. Ofri has written a honest,compelling account on how this relationship is played out in an urban hospital serving a diverse population...." Read more

30 customers mention "Readability"30 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and engaging. They say it's a good read and worth their time.

"Dr. Ofri writes this excellent book about the emotions that many physicians feel that affect how they practice medicine, and how the training and..." Read more

"...A very good book that even made me become much more sympathetic to two doctors I encountered, one uneasy and fearful about a procedure..." Read more

"Loved this book. It is an impactful and well-written account of the wonderful, harrowing and everything-in-between emotions experienced by..." Read more

"This excellent book brought back many, many memories from my medical training, and is a touchstone for many of the feelings I have even today, after..." Read more

11 customers mention "Honesty"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's honest and straightforward perspective. They find it relatable and authentic, with a transparent account of her experiences. The book is described as heartwarming, entertaining, and fascinating.

"...thank Dr. Ofri enough for her willingness to be vulnerable and brutally honest...." Read more

"Danielle Ofri, MD has written an honest, brave, and incisive account of the emotional aspects of practicing medicine in contemporary society...." Read more

"...Incredibly candid, touching, and written in a very accessible style, "What Doctors Feel," should be read not only by every healthcare provider but..." Read more

"...Her writing is so powerful due to the fact that she is transparent about her experiences...." Read more

4 customers mention "Creativity"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's creative and comprehensive perspective on physicians' journey. They find it wise and terrific.

"...Her writing is clear and beautiful, no matter who you are, or how you make your living, as Dr. Ofri states in the title, How _____'s Feel: How..." Read more

"...A wise look at how physicians take the emotional roller coaster of a medial career." Read more

"...Dr. Offri offers journalistic, creative, and encompassing perspectives of this important facet of medicine...." Read more

"Pretentious." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging, captivating, and entertaining. They describe it as compelling, eye-opening, and heartwarming.

"...Quite the opposite on all counts. The book is engaging, enlightening, compelling, and brilliantly written...." Read more

"...Her writing is clear, thoughtful, and engaging...." Read more

"For a doctor either this book was heartwarming, true to life, entertaining, and fascinating. I couldn't put it down." Read more

"Captivating and eye-opening..." Read more

3 customers mention "Empathy"0 positive3 negative

Customers find the book lacks empathy. They say the author's feelings are not deeply or broadly expressed, and the focus is too narrow on two patients.

"...She comes off as privileged in lacking in empathy, even though she spends *so much* times talking about "What Doctors Feel." She apparently..." Read more

"...empathy, which doctors are sued... I find her feelings are not deeply or broadly expressed -- Too much focus on two patients...." Read more

"An empathy-sapping book." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2014
    Danielle Ofri's book, What Doctors Feel, is one that should be required reading in all medical schools, and it should also be read by all patients to help them better navigate the undercurrents of their relationships and experiences with their doctors, particularly, as these undercurrents involve the generally unspoken emotions and fears of, and the risks to, their physicians.

    As both a long-time patient with extremely complex medical conditions, and someone who has always been fascinated by medicine (I read medical textbooks for fun as a teenager), I thought that my knowledge of the world of doctors and medicine was more than adequate. Yet, after reading Ofri's book, one physician's apology to me, and another's visceral reaction to the suggestion by another physician that he perform a surgery on me that might be medically necessary, but that would, inevitably, leave me disabled to some degree, took on entirely different shadings and nuances, and I learned a great deal that I would never have otherwise known.

    Yet, do not get the idea that this book is dry, or aimed at teaching some sort of lesson, or written to either apologize for or explain away the negative behaviors of physicians. Quite the opposite on all counts. The book is engaging, enlightening, compelling, and brilliantly written. What might indeed have been dry material in other hands is, quite literally, a page-turner in Ofri's. I read the book cover-to-cover in two sittings. As readers, we learn about how the doctors in the book feel through their encounters with patients, some whom they have grown to love, and through the tortuous and exacting training that medical students endure in order to become physicians. And, we too, grow to love some of the patients, and to empathize with both the doctors and their patients, and we care about their stories as much as we do about the stories of our favorite fictitious characters. Yet, every person and every story in this book is real--each was lived by fellow human beings, and we come to care deeply about every one of them.

    Both my husband and I are professors, and we both plan to use the book in our classes. While he is a classicist, who will use the book in a class about illness and injury, praise and blame, I am a philosopher, and I will use the book in a writing class about confronting moral dilemma. We choose our books carefully, always with an eye to picking texts that our students will love to read, and this book is one that we will use for years, I am quite sure.

    I give this book my highest recommendation.
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2013
    We all know what patients feel because we have been or will be a patient in the course of our lives: but do we understand what is going on in the lives of doctors who stand before, often in their white coats which often broadcasts professional invulnerability? Is there any way of intuiting the feelings that doctors experience when things go wrong with their patients, when they are unsure of what action to take in the face of thorny ambiguities that don't have an easy answer, or how they are affected by the poor outcomes of patients for whom great care was invested? The many forces that operate on doctors, the numerous stresses that working in a busy hospital impose on both the new and seasoned doctors are largely invisible to the lay person but which are so honestly revealed to the reader in this book.

    We follow the path of one patient, Julia, young woman who needs a heart transplant but can't even get on the waiting list because of her status as an undocumented immigrant. Dr. Ofri cares deeply about her and so does the reader who is drawn into the tension between the woman's escalating needs and the medical reality of the country she so desperately wanted to live in. Woven between the chapters describing her medical journey, the readers learn of the physical and emotional forces that shape the doctors' world, issues we might never know about if this book weren't written.

    Heavily footnoted and rich in research, 'What Doctors Feel' offers a lode of information that is a must for those who wish to understand the world of medicine that ultimately affects us all. Danielle Ofri writes compellingly, with insight and great empathy that is heartwarming to those of us who should know she represents a kind of doctor we all wish for ourselves.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2013
    "What Doctors Feel." In particular, I really appreciated your chapter on medical errors and moving past the concept of 100% focus on systems and looking at the doctor himself.

    As a pre-medical student, I took an early interest in patient safety and quality of care, following some personal experiences and those involving family friends.

    After that and another close call with a family friend I sought out and started research in patient safety. While I fully believed in making the system better, I also wanted to focus on what my professor called the "Second Victim Phenomenon." However, I was never able to appreciate it to such agree until I read this book. It felt like Dr. Ofri was talking to me directly in describing the situations. It's given me a renewed focus at approaching the issues of full disclosure and the emotions tied to near misses and medical errors.

    It also emphasizes the importance of emotional and mental health and support in the process of becoming a physician with great, personal stories. I feel like this will probably be a book I come back to if I ever start to feel disenfranchised by the field of medicine in the future.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Joao Cunha
    5.0 out of 5 stars All ok
    Reviewed in Germany on November 1, 2020
    All ok
  • Sanju Cyriac
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ofri 😊
    Reviewed in India on June 24, 2019
    I felt relieved after reading this book. The emotional turmoil we face in patient care is an universal phenomenon. Grief, Disillusionment and worthlessness are some common issues in a physician's life. How we go on with our work neglecting this is an amazing thing. I will say, patients are sometimes lucky to go the right hand. Each human brain is different in analyzing a case. Then whom to blame for an incorrect decision
  • AK
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book - a must read
    Reviewed in Canada on November 21, 2016
    I read this book a few years ago, after "How Doctors Think," by Jerome Groopman. They present very complementary ideas. Ofri delves into how our emotions can affect how doctors view illness, and how they practice. She also discusses burnout in a frank and open way, calling into question how the profession deals with it, and the responsibility it has to create a welcome and supportive environment for learning and practice.
  • norismat
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting book.
    Reviewed in Italy on February 6, 2018
    Interesting, well written and pleasant . I would suggest this book to anybody interested in knowing more about the perspective of doctors during medical practice.
  • DRGC
    5.0 out of 5 stars What is going on inside the Doctor?
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2014
    Why should you read this book?

    This is an open honest and raw account of what it feels like to be Doctor. The author re-emphasises the central need for doctors to know who the patient is, before moving on to attempts at diagnosis and treatment recommendations. The author describes the joy of successful professional relationships with patients, as well as the anxiety, fear, guilt and depression that can so easily seep into a clinician. The writing style is simple, the stories are true, the truths are universal.

    Who should read this book?

    Obviously Doctors and Medical Students should read this book to remind themselves of why they went into medical practice, as well as to enable them to fight for their patients' best interests. Anyone non clinical involved in managing clinicians and clinical work should read this, to gain insight into what is going on inside those pesky clinicians' lives! Patients and carers can easily see the complexity and human fallibility of ethical Doctors work.

    How long will it take to read? I think it took me about 6 hours to read this book. I found it fascinating and did not want to put it down.

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