Hello, I'm
Kiki Lombarts
professor professional performance AMC
An introduction
The common thread through my working life can be summarized as 'doctors and quality'. Or more specifically, the quality of (the functioning of) medical specialists. For more than 30 years I have been researching, following, advising and guiding them. I talk with and about doctors, watch them and sometimes keep an eye on them. It keeps me fascinated.
On this website I tell you more about it and you can read what it has yielded (my performance), what occupies me now (my news ) and what I am working on (my agenda)..
Nieuwtjes...
A wonderful end to the summer holidays and a great start to the new (academic) year: the Rogano meeting. Our annual scientific conference on research in medical education. A summery snapshot with colleagues Ellen Ricke, Anne van Graafeiland, and Sofiya Abedali. The scientific results will follow later.
Some studies reach the heart just a bit more deeply than others. This study is one of those, and it just so happens to be about the heart. The warm heart, the compassionate heart, the heart of healthcare professionals that beats for their patients.
Previous research has already shown how important compassion is for patients and healthcare professionals (and really, for everyone). Compassionate doctors observe that their patients feel less stressed and anxious, are more likely to follow advice, take better care of themselves, and even report better clinical outcomes. Moreover, doctors themselves also benefit from "more compassion"; in short, it makes them healthier and happier.
So, the combination of “compassion” and “patient care” is a no-brainer? Unfortunately, no.
Patients still report too often that they did not receive compassionate treatment. Doctors acknowledge that compassion in care is important. In this study, we wanted to explore where things go wrong. We therefore interviewed both patients and medical residents about compassionate care. The study reveals how implicit assumptions, expectations, lack of connection and communication, and practical barriers in clinical practice help explain the compassion mismatch between doctor and patient. The article makes three suggestions for incorporating compassionate actions into training. Read this study on Compassion through different lenses here.
This paper is the result of a team project on compassionate care, initiated by Dr. Maarten Debets and financially supported by a contribution from the Amsterdam Public Health research institute.