Spinning the lens on physician power: narratives of humanism and healing

Abstract

Divisive, disabling and dangerous power has featured heavily in health professions literature, social media and medical education. Negative accounts of the wielding of power have discoloured the lens through which the public sees medicine and distorted the view of a profession long associated with healing, humanism and heart. What has been buried in the midst of this discourse are positive accounts of power where the yielding of power is encouraging, empathetic and empowering. This article offers three personal vignettes illustrating the ability of power to positively affect lives in the practice of medicine, for patients and doctors alike. More of these stories are needed to uplift and rebalance the conversation on physician power and how it can be used for good. It is necessary to provide a narrative framework of what it looks like to be a healer and a humanistic doctor to satisfy the general public through a commitment to cultivate multidimensional future healthcare providers.