Having been a patient himself, Dr. Gapud makes a concerted effort to slow down when he is working with patients and demonstrate sincere empathy. “Many patients may feel as if nobody understands them and what they are going through,” he explains. There are often considerations in their care that patients either can’t express—they may not have the language to do so—or do not know are relevant to their discussions with their doctor. For example, when a rheumatologist thinks about treatment options, they may primarily think about hard outcomes and efficacy. Each individual patient, however, may need to weigh the potential benefits of a medication with the opportunity costs—time, money, effects on scheduling and travel, and the pain associated with frequent injections.
Dr. Gapud is willing and able to share his diagnosis with patients in the clinic, and he often finds doing so helps make his opinion more accessible and relevant to patients. He values greatly the importance of the psychosocial aspect of medicine, often thinking about and discussing the emotional impact that an illness may have on a person.
Above all else, Dr. Gapud believes that trust is key to a healthy therapeutic relationship between patient and doctor. He says this begins with the most important skill a physician can possess: the ability to truly listen. Listening is a skill that must be learned and practiced, and how one listens—reading between the lines, thinking critically about the words that a person chooses to express themselves—is informed by being thoughtful in each and every patient encounter.
In Sum
The stories of Drs. Jeurling, Ferrada and Gapud serve as powerful examples that rheumatologists can learn from, gaining wisdom and insight into the optimal care of our patients.
