Fuchs Jeffrey W, Fuchs Joseph R
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
Linacre Q. 2021 Feb;88(1):65-70. doi: 10.1177/0024363920936080. Epub 2020 Jun 30.
Since his election in March 2013, Pope Francis has brought significant attention to the concept of "throwaway culture." This moral paradigm-which has been defined by Francis in various speeches and the encyclical -characterizes a present-day culture in which food, disposable objects, and even human beings themselves are "discarded as 'unnecessary.'" As Catholic physicians, it is our duty to ensure that we are working to counteract throwaway culture in our daily clinical practice by embracing and exhibiting a culture of encounter. When throwaway culture is discussed within the context of medical practice, it is easy to think of major life and systemic issues including abortion, assistive reproductive technology, physician assisted suicide, and so on. However, rejection of throwaway culture has much broader implications for Catholic physicians. We are called to resist this perverse culture whenever we experience a situation that requires special attention to the respect of human dignity. In this article, we present two common situations encountered in clinical practice in which it is essential to counteract throwaway culture and embrace a culture of encounter: in working with patients who are isolation settings and those who require translation services. Various studies are cited which demonstrate a lack of respect for human dignity that can be seen when working with these patient populations, and recommendations are provided which illustrate how to embrace a culture of encounter in each scenario. The authors conclude that through adoption of a culture of encounter, Catholic physicians as a community can be role models for coworkers, trainees, and students, promoting a culture in which we validate human dignity and ensure the quality and just care of even our most vulnerable patients.
Pope Francis had defined a "throwaway culture" in which "Human life, the person, are no longer seen as a primary value to be respected and safeguarded." In this article we present two common situations encountered in clinical practice in which it is essential to counteract throwaway culture and embrace a culture of encounter: in working with patients who are isolation settings and those who require translation services. We conclude that, as Catholic physicians, it is our duty to ensure that we are working to counteract throwaway culture in our daily clinical practice by embracing and exhibiting a culture of encounter.
自2013年3月当选以来，方济各教皇已极大地关注了“抛弃文化”这一概念。这种道德范式——方济各在各种演讲和通谕中对其进行了定义——描绘了一种当今的文化，在这种文化中，食物、一次性物品，甚至人类自身都“被当作‘不必要的东西’而被丢弃”。作为天主教医生，我们的职责是确保在日常临床实践中努力抵制抛弃文化，通过接纳并展现一种相遇文化。当在医疗实践的背景下讨论抛弃文化时，很容易想到重大的生命和系统性问题，包括堕胎、辅助生殖技术、医生协助自杀等等。然而，对天主教医生来说，抵制抛弃文化有着更广泛的影响。每当我们遇到需要特别关注尊重人类尊严的情况时，我们都被召唤去抵制这种有害的文化。在本文中，我们呈现了临床实践中遇到的两种常见情况，在这些情况下抵制抛弃文化并接纳相遇文化至关重要：与处于隔离环境中的患者以及需要翻译服务的患者打交道时。引用了各种研究，这些研究表明在与这些患者群体打交道时可以看到对人类尊严缺乏尊重，并提供了建议，说明了在每种情况下如何接纳相遇文化。作者得出结论，通过采用相遇文化，天主教医生群体可以成为同事、实习生和学生的榜样，促进一种我们认可人类尊严并确保即使是最脆弱患者也能得到优质和公正护理的文化。
方济各教皇定义了一种“抛弃文化”，在这种文化中“人类生命、人不再被视为需要尊重和保护的首要价值”。在本文中，我们呈现了临床实践中遇到的两种常见情况，在这些情况下抵制抛弃文化并接纳相遇文化至关重要：与处于隔离环境中的患者以及需要翻译服务的患者打交道时。我们得出结论，作为天主教医生，我们的职责是确保在日常临床实践中努力抵制抛弃文化，通过接纳并展现一种相遇文化。
