On Moral Injury and Emotions in Medicine (with Dr. Danielle Ofri)
As one of the most prolific and acclaimed physician writers today, Dr. Danielle Ofri is the author of seven books on the intricacies of modern medical practice and the doctor-patient relationship. Her other writings have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, in addition to various leading medical journals. She is also the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Bellevue Literary Review, a literary journal that publishes works focusing on the human body, illness, and health. In her writings, Dr. Ofri uses vivid narratives to shed light on the highs and lows of being a doctor. In this episode, she joins us to share her path to medicine, how doctors can mitigate the moral injury they experience in their work, and how storytelling can comfort us in times of suffering.
In this episode, you will hear about:
- How Dr. Ofri was initially drawn to internal medicine through the patient stories she encountered - 1:54
- A discussion of the tension between the business and art of medicine - 6:07
- Dr. Ofri’s advice on how clinicians can combat the moral corrosion that broken medical systems can induce - 11:29
- How Dr. Ofri’s medical residency during the AIDS epidemic led to her passion for writing - 16:33
- Dr. Ofri’s writing process - 23:30
- A discussion of the moral philosophy of medicine and why doctors do what they do - 27:09
- Dr. Ofri reflections on how her writing has impacted her clinical practice - 31:47
- The wisdom that physicians who encounter suffering every day can share with a world experiencing collective grief from the COVID-19 pandemic - 34:38
- A discussion of the emotional toll on clinicians of delivering bad news and confronting grief, and an exploration of guilt and shame - 42:25
- Dr. Ofri’s advice to clinicians on how to stay connected to meaning in medicine - 48:44
Dr. Danielle Ofri is the author of the following books on being a doctor:
Singular Intimacies: Becoming a Doctor at Bellevue
What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine
When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error
What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear
Intensive Care: A Doctor’s Journey
Follow Dr. Ofri on Twitter @DanielleOfri.
This episode included an excerpt from Jacqueline du Pré and Daniel Barenboim’s performance of the Cello Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 99 by Johannes Brahms, recorded live in West Berlin in 1968.
Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.
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