The Traditional Physician’s Narrative
The traditional physician’s narrative lacks the compassionate side of the physician, and avoids mention of any interpersonal relationship between patients and doctors. Medicine often dictates that physicians remain in a state of detached concern, which permits treatment and generalized humanitarian concern but rejects sincere compassion. All of Us and Lessons from the Heart of the AIDS Epidemic challenge this traditional narrative through the lens of Dr. Mehret Mandefro and Dr. Kate Scannell, respectively. Dr. Mehret, a doctor in the Bronx, asks why black women have the highest rate of HIV infection and engages in personal relationships with her patients, who parallel her own life. In Dr. Kate’s testimony, …show more content…
Kate and Mehret engage in parallel interactions with patients. Mehret’s research takes her throughout the Bronx and puts her in touch with two HIV+ women, Chevelle and Tara. The interactions with Chevelle and Tara move well beyond the typical doctor-patient relationship, which Tara poignantly expresses through her initial confusion as to whether or not Mehret practices medicine. Dr. Mandefro consistently breaks the professional barrier through her presence at Tara’s support group and attendance at Chevelle’s wedding. Similarly, Kate’s interactions with a patient, Jay, move well beyond the traditional realm. She drops her professional barrier and yells at Jay for his poor behavior but eventually comes to understand her patient, which culminates in Kate purchasing fish to hearten Jay (Scannell 40-47). In both doctor’s experiences, the breakdown of the professional barrier proves beneficial to doctor and patient due to the creation of a novel degree of trust, which promotes effective treatment and improves patient outcomes. Such actions contradict the teachings of medical schools and receive attention as a poor method of professional conduct. One should consider the personal doctor as the perfect doctor rather than one who practices strict adherence to the old guard of …show more content…
Scannell’s narrative revolves around the clinical setting, Dr. Mandefro focuses on the field and social aspects of disease. In her first interaction with Tara, Tara did not believe Mehret’s professional background, in part because “she [Mehret] is really concerned about me and my…me and my HIV.” In Tara’s surprise, one sees that she has a preconception that doctors exist as aloof characters in the doctor-patient narrative. However, All of Us includes aspects of Mehret’s personal life, which contains similar situations that her patient’s experience, and Dr. Mandefro comes to the conclusion that the lack of sexual autonomy that her patients face extends beyond class and race. Upon her realization that she shares experiences with her patients, Dr. Mandefro understands that the inclusion of personal experience should add an aspect to medicine rather than hinder effective practice. Accordingly, Mehret discloses personal information to Chevelle and details how she acted on assumptions that resulted in risky behaviors. Such disclosure strengthens the doctor-patient relationship and adds a layer of depth to the narrative that did not previously
The traditional physician’s narrative lacks the compassionate side of the physician, and avoids mention of any interpersonal relationship between patients and doctors. Medicine often dictates that physicians remain in a state of detached concern, which permits treatment and generalized humanitarian concern but rejects sincere compassion. All of Us and Lessons from the Heart of the AIDS Epidemic challenge this traditional narrative through the lens of Dr. Mehret Mandefro and Dr. Kate Scannell, respectively. Dr. Mehret, a doctor in the Bronx, asks why black women have the highest rate of HIV infection and engages in personal relationships with her patients, who parallel her own life. In Dr. Kate’s testimony, …show more content…
Kate and Mehret engage in parallel interactions with patients. Mehret’s research takes her throughout the Bronx and puts her in touch with two HIV+ women, Chevelle and Tara. The interactions with Chevelle and Tara move well beyond the typical doctor-patient relationship, which Tara poignantly expresses through her initial confusion as to whether or not Mehret practices medicine. Dr. Mandefro consistently breaks the professional barrier through her presence at Tara’s support group and attendance at Chevelle’s wedding. Similarly, Kate’s interactions with a patient, Jay, move well beyond the traditional realm. She drops her professional barrier and yells at Jay for his poor behavior but eventually comes to understand her patient, which culminates in Kate purchasing fish to hearten Jay (Scannell 40-47). In both doctor’s experiences, the breakdown of the professional barrier proves beneficial to doctor and patient due to the creation of a novel degree of trust, which promotes effective treatment and improves patient outcomes. Such actions contradict the teachings of medical schools and receive attention as a poor method of professional conduct. One should consider the personal doctor as the perfect doctor rather than one who practices strict adherence to the old guard of …show more content…
Scannell’s narrative revolves around the clinical setting, Dr. Mandefro focuses on the field and social aspects of disease. In her first interaction with Tara, Tara did not believe Mehret’s professional background, in part because “she [Mehret] is really concerned about me and my…me and my HIV.” In Tara’s surprise, one sees that she has a preconception that doctors exist as aloof characters in the doctor-patient narrative. However, All of Us includes aspects of Mehret’s personal life, which contains similar situations that her patient’s experience, and Dr. Mandefro comes to the conclusion that the lack of sexual autonomy that her patients face extends beyond class and race. Upon her realization that she shares experiences with her patients, Dr. Mandefro understands that the inclusion of personal experience should add an aspect to medicine rather than hinder effective practice. Accordingly, Mehret discloses personal information to Chevelle and details how she acted on assumptions that resulted in risky behaviors. Such disclosure strengthens the doctor-patient relationship and adds a layer of depth to the narrative that did not previously