Importance of Effective Communication in the Medical Profession

This article explores the importance of effective communication in the medical profession, as depicted in the movie Wit. It highlights the role of empathy and kindness in building rapport with patients and emphasizes the need for caregivers to treat patients with dignity and respect. The article also discusses the impact of ineffective communication on patients' well-being and reflects on the ethical responsibilities of healthcare professionals.

Effective communication
Effective communication is an integral part of professionalism which can be defined as a
combination of values, relationships, attitudes, and conducts while dealing with other people
in a professional environment (Evans, 2003; Fakhr-Movahedi et al, 2011). The movie Wit
showcases through different hear wrenching episodes the importance of effective
communication in the medical profession especially for those who deal with patients whoare
suffering from life-threatening diseases like cancer. The message about how the day was
reveals a sense of care and familiarity even in an unfamiliar clinical set up. It is a story of a
homeless scholar who was diagnosed with an advanced stage of ovarian cancer. Susie’s act of
kindness through offering a patient in pain something as sweet as a popsicle was a strong way
to communicate the message that it does not matter whether a person is highly knowledgeable
or intelligent, what is important is whether a person can resonate with the agony and
sufferings of other people (Fakhr-Movahedi et al, 2012; Joolaee et al, 2010). Thus, Susie
could effectively communicate her feelings for her aligning patients through the non-verbal
mode of communication in the form of an act of kindness (McCarthy et al, 2013). This
episode proved that empathy is what makes a person valuable and dependable.
The movie itself effectively communicated one powerful message that practicing empathy is
not optional but a mandatory duty of a caregiver (Moussas et al, 2010; Papadantonaki, 2006).
Patients deserve as much dignity and respect as any other person (Panagopoulou & Benos
2004). Despite their vulnerable state of health, they should never be treated inhumanly or like
a specimen or a subject of an experiment (Papadantonaki, 2012). Neither doctors nor
clinicians or caregivers have the right to deprive the patients of the fundamental human rights
and dignity that they deserve. Being in the profession of caregiving is not as easy as it

appears. Apart from having knowledge and understanding of many technicalities, a caregiver
must have loads of empathy and humanity in his or her character which must reflect through
their interaction and communciation with the patients (Stroebe, Schut & Stroebe, 2007).
Through the role of Susie who Vivian thought to be dull and overly emotional, the movie
showcases what true empathy means and how a caregiver should build rapport with an
aligning patient. Caregiving is not always about being smart or intelligent instead about more
being humane and compassionate.
So far as ineffective communication is concerned, the movie has shown it with great details
(Wikström & Svidén, 2011). The doctor treated Vivian with a severe lack of empathy while
subjecting her to an eight-month-long experimental chemotherapy course. He did not show
her any hope or offer any consolation as she was trying to remain enduring throughout the
process of tests. She was further exposed to the medical students where she was treated more
like a specimen rather than a human being. In addition to that, it was shown that she led a
solitary life in a separated world and suffered silently from the painful conditions of
spreading cancer and the dreadful effects of chemotherapy.
Scene analysis
With the worsening physical condition, Vivian started finding comfort in the company of
Susie, whom she had rejected as being overly sentimental and unintelligent. From the
empathic nature of Susie, she realized that it is always better to be treated with kindness and
dignity than merely with a cut-and-dry intellectual approach as one approach death. In a
moment of excruciating pain and fear of dying soon, Vivian started crying and Susie tried to
soothe her. Susie asked if she would like to have anicy-pole and Vivian agreed. Susie brought
Vivianan old-fashioned popsicle so that she can feel relaxed. Vivian for the first time showed
some sign of real kindness to someone else by asking to share it with Susie. They began

enjoying the popsicle together and continued conversation. Vivian felt better in the company
of Susie who had so much empathy for her.This icy-pole (popsicle) scenerepresents a turning
point in the movie where Vivian’s point of view with respect to the world changed. She
began understanding the world from a perspective of kindness and empathy. She happened to
be a person with an unkind attitude and was devoid of compassion. However, at a juncture of
her life when she was fighting with death, it was kindness and empathy that become more
important than anything else.She realized that Susie was the most kind-hearted person she has
ever encountered, and she must appreciate this quality of hers and reciprocate it with some
gesture of kindness too. Though crying and recollecting with Susie was something she found
“maudlin” and “corny,” yet she accepted that it was the reality of her life, which she could
notdeny.Her perception of human beings changed in this episode.
This scene also made it very clear how patient-clinical relationship is the essential
relationship in the health care sector (Wilkinson et al, 2008). And this relationship gets
affected by both verbal and non-verbal communications of the people relevant to the field
including the patients. Patients often face severe questions from technicians who are
conducting tests on them, as Vivian got hit by harsh questions by the clinicians attending her.
They did not try to comfort her or give her courage instead saw death in her face much before
she died. Such unemphatic and inhuman interactionscause trauma to the patients already
perplexed with the condition of their health and its future consequences.
This movie sent out a clear message that practicing empathy is not optional but a mandatory
duty of a caregiver. Patients deserve as much dignity and respect as any other person. Despite
their vulnerable state of health, they should never be treated inhumanly or like a specimen or
a subject of an experiment. Neither doctors nor clinicians or caregivers have the right to
deprive the patients of the fundamental human rights and dignity that they deserve. I realized
that being in the profession of caregiving is not as easy as it appears. Apart from knowledge

and understanding of many technicalities, a caregiver must have loads of empathy and
humanity in his or her character. Through the character of Susie who Vivian thought to be
dull and overly emotional, the movie showcases what true empathy means and how a
caregiver should build rapport with an aligning patient. Another powerful lesson I learntform
this classic is that care giving is not always about being smart or intelligent instead about
more being humane and compassionate. The final lesson that I learnt from this movie is that a
caregiver must not have an ego problem. Despite being denounced by Vivian as unintelligent
and emotional, Susie carried on taking care of her and being by her side when all left her
alone.
Wit is a movie that has not for those audiences who want to have a fun-filled experience
throughout the film. It is a serious movie that delves deep into the different aspects of human
behavior concerning professional relationships particularly in the field of medical care.
Patients often face severe questions from technicians who are conducting tests on them, as
Vivian got hit by harsh questions by the clinicians attending her. They did not try to comfort
her or give her courage instead saw death in her face much before she died. Such unemphatic
and inhuman treatment causes trauma to the patients already perplexed with the condition of
their health and its future consequences.
Reflection
I think that certain noble professions like those of nurses or doctors need an individualistic
ethical perception of certain situations. Apart from just going with the flow of the
organization or simply taking instructions from the seniors, a nurse needs to be obligated by
her profession itself to impart honest and professional care towards the patient. But the nurse
Susie who depicts the epitome of modern ethical nurse, wants to give the best possible care as

per her knowledge. Although the patient who has submitted to her ill fate consents to being
treated as an object of experimentation, it might not be ethical in reality to treat her with
neglect as she is suffering from terminal illness. As a nurse one should treat a patient with a
holistic approach and try to impart strength to the patient’s mindset. Cancer patients need to
be stress free and happy. So nurses treating such patients undergoing terminal illness should
rather do their best to make the patient feel less lonely and eliminate the feel of death from
within the patient. Rather she should be allowed to live completely for whatever years she has
with her.
So in my future practice I will always use my individual perception and some small
innovation while practicing, instead of simply taking orders and doing my job mechanically.
Such patients should be allowed to watch good happy movies, read books which are
encouraging and meet their family members often in order to forget about all the stress
associated with their illness. Family care nursing option could be the best for these patients I
think. As I was comparing myself with Susie as a caregiver, I found that I cannot do things
going beyond my prescribed duty or job role. Susie never hesitated to do out of the way
things to make her patient feel happy and comfortable. This is a crucial gap that, I realized, I
have in my skill set which may limit my progress as a caregiver. I must work upon this aspect
of my skill gap.
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