Empathy Video

by: Alex Smith

I’m interested in people’s reactions to the video called “Empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care” produced by the Clevland Clinic. The whole videois only 4:24 long.

This is a really well done high quality production. It’s quite moving.

The video tracks faces of people in the hospital – patients (young and old), doctors, nurses, staff. Sad George Winston-type music overlay. No spoken words – instead there are floating phrases describing the innermost concerns or joys of the people in the video. Some examples:

Day 29 waiting for a new heart

Doesn’t completely understand

Too shocked to comprehend treatment options

Visiting Dad for the last time

Celebrating 25th wedding anniversary

Worried how he will pay for this

7,000 miles from home

Just signed DNR

Questions:

1. Does anyone know more about this video? Were palliative care folks involved in the making? It seems likely.
2. I also wonder how people will use this video. How could it be used in teaching, for example?
3. Any constructive critiques of the video? Perhaps one could argue that in geriatrics and palliative care we know about these inner struggles, because we face them daily in our work. So who is the video for? Marketing for patients – to show that the Clevland Clinic cares?