Where is the pain?
This week, there has been a great deal of discussion regarding concerns in the healthcare sector. I am trying to view the situation from a distance. It appears complex, is it? What is actually going on?
There is a kind of class struggle, categorizing some as “good” and others not, resulting in hyper-specialization. There are conflicts of interest: who stands to benefit? Individualism prevails over working together. Everything is becoming globalized: what is the foundation of our work? We need to get back to basics. Connections are crumbling; alliances are merely expedient rather than genuine. There is a call for connections based on a human scale, on social and human values. That is what one reads.
What do healthcare professionals say? “I no longer feel at home here. I have no influence. I work hard, yet receive only criticism. No matter what I say, no one listens. I am no longer asked for my input, so I have no say. There is no longer a shared experience. I have no influence; I am not allowed to think for myself, decisions are made for me. Taking initiative is not appreciated. Decisions are made about me. Suddenly, I am deemed unsuitable. I do my best and just keep going. No one ever asks: ‘How are you doing?’ There is no money for training. Workload keeps increasing. There are so many restrictions. How can I keep going? It is the most wonderful profession there is, yet the limit has been reached.”
“Dilemmas arise daily due to recent changes, legislation, public accountability requirements, and shifting responsibilities among healthcare professionals. This clashes with the very reason you chose this profession.”
Andrew Jameton first described “Moral Distress” (MD) in 1984. It occurs when you know what constitutes good care but feel powerless, hindered, or unable to provide that care. MD arises from mounting external pressures. It seems inevitable. The result: an exodus from the healthcare sector, fragmentation and a decline in the quality of care, and so on.
So, are you still up for it? Have we reached the limit of what is acceptable? Do you really want to move forward and take control yourself, full of energy and passion? You cannot simply change the system. What you can change is claiming your own space, refusing to let external systems or demands push you out of your professional role, and standing firm in who you are.
I can hear you muttering: “Yeah, but… that’s not for me,” “That sounds nice, but that’s not really how it works,” “What do you know about it?”, “How do you do that?”, etc.