CHEST Guidelines-The-Humanities-in-Chest-Medicine-and--em-CHEST--em (1)

The-Humanities-in-Chest-Medicine-and--em-CHEST--em (1)

Pdf Summary

The editorial by Fabien Maldonado, MD, introduces a new section in the CHEST journal that emphasizes the importance of integrating humanities into pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. This approach challenges the purely mechanistic view of contemporary medicine as being solely evidence-based and technologically driven. It argues for a more holistic, patient-centered methodology that recognizes the medical field's intrinsic ethical, philosophical, and relational dimensions. <br /><br />Maldonado suggests that while modern medicine produces significant results through advanced techniques like robotic surgery and life-supporting technologies, its core remains an interpersonal discipline. Therefore, it's essential not only to consider technical success but also to address ethical dilemmas, particularly during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic where decisions about resource allocation become critical. This includes ethical debates on withdrawing life-support for some patients to benefit others or prioritizing vaccine distribution among vulnerable populations versus essential workers.<br /><br />To address these issues, the article posits that traditional medical ethics—beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and autonomy—need to be informed by other ethical frameworks such as virtue ethics and care ethics. Therefore, the humanities section aims to incorporate insights from disciplines like philosophy, ethics, and fine arts to enrich the dialogue around these complex issues.<br /><br />The piece concludes with an invitation to healthcare providers, ethicists, and scholars to contribute to this discourse, fostering collaborative efforts to enhance holistic approaches in medicine. An editorial board featuring key figures from various institutions will oversee this initiative, aiming to bridge the gap between medical practice and humanities, promoting a more thoughtful and compassionate practice of medicine.

Keywords

humanities

pulmonary medicine

critical care

sleep medicine

holistic approach

medical ethics

COVID-19 pandemic

virtue ethics

care ethics

interdisciplinary collaboration