What is the bigger picture in treating pain you might ask?
This begins with treating the WHOLE person – NOT just a symptom, disease, or body part. Too often now patients are seen only as their diagnosis or by their imaging results. But what does this have to do with treating the person who happens to be in pain or unable to do/complete/perform “x” duties because of their problem?
In short, this narrow viewpoint often leads to missing key details, WHICH leads to less than optimal care. Waiting weeks or months for an appointment, and then waiting hours past your schedule appointment time. Next, dealing with 3 intermediate steps before ever seeing the doctor, only to spend maybe 5 minutes with the actual doctor. And in those 5 minutes you are asked the same questions the person before them asked. Not to mention a very brief exam, only to be told to take some pill or go for some test…oh, and come back in another 4 weeks if you do not feel any better. Plus you are told they can only address one of your issues per visit.
No answers provided, no real solutions offered, just medications, more tests, and more wait and see. How is this approach to care for you? Do you feel satisfied? Of course not; all you are left with is FRUSTRATION.
Frustration that you have not been heard and your problem(s) have not been addressed. This is where our medical system FAILS. We fail to help the PERSON directly in front of us.
A person is not only suffering from pain, BUT also the stress, frustration, anxiety, depression and more that comes with pain and not being able to be active as you like. These social and/or emotional factors truly play a HUGE role in how one feels and responds to pain. And…a big reason we must begin to see the BIGGER PICTURE and treat the whole person.
We must take the time to TRULY learn about the person. To learn how this problem is bothering them and impacting their life. We must learn about their motivation, goals, and what they are willing to do to achieve these things. It is necessary to engage the person in the process of healing because if they are not invested in the process, it will be doomed to fail. This means that the patient MUST be an active participant in healing…It is not 100% on the medical system. But as a healthcare provider we must set realistic expectations and goals that are MUTUALLY agreed upon with and by the patient.
For those struggling with pain, There is NO pill, NO test, NO surgery, and NO magic cure. The medical community is finally starting to realize this and make changes. BUT change is slow and continues to be stalled by patient’s insistence they must have medication, tests, surgery and think they will just be magically healed. As much as I put blame on the system for not seeing the bigger picture soon enough and making the necessary changes, the individual seeking care must be held accountable as well.
The Bigger Picture…treating the WHOLE person (physically, mentally, emotionally), respecting and soliciting their values/beliefs/expectations, and taking the time to invest in the person’s well-being. The only goal should be helping the person through a team effort.
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