“Science assumed—and this became the arrogance of the modern mind—that it knew more than anybody else ever had. It did not yet realize that this new knowing was limited to small areas. In its newfound excitement such knowing quickly neglected other areas. Analysis of parts became more important than a synthesis of the whole.”
Richard Rohr
Healthcare is highly specialized these days. As a healthcare worker, I get why. I work in a highly specialized field. If you have something wrong with your brain or nervous system, we are your people.
If you have a gaping wound on another part of your body, if your endocrine system is off-kilter, or your heart occasionally breaks into a gallop or takes up interpretive dance – then, we have to call in OTHER specialists to deal with those issues.
The benefit of this is that the specialists are really good at knowing what to do with these isolated issues, but I’m never sure if any one of them sees the entire person in front of them.
I’m not sure if anyone has ever seen all of me.
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The above paragraphs were written by my wife. As I have begun navigating the healthcare system myself, I too am beginning to experience the truth of her sentiments.
I suspect that many others feel the same. In my work as a hospice chaplain, I routinely hear people speak painfully about the exhaustive and exhausting process of relentless testing and treating, only to be unceremoniously dropped by the medical system when there are no more options.
They talk about feeling abandoned and unseen by a healthcare system that still does not know how to treat the whole person as a highly intricate and integrated body, mind, and soul.
Entrenched knowledge
With the explosion in our scientific body of knowledge, it’s arguably inevitable that we would have evolved into a world of specialists. There’s so much knowledge, especially in the technical and scientific fields, that many spend a lifetime honing their craft in a very narrow area.
While we have benefited greatly from specialized medicine, we are also paying a high price. In a world as complex as ours, problem solving now requires us to recognize similarities and make connections between the most seemingly unrelated of fields.
However, in his book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein chronicles the sad and scary trend in the opposite direction. He writes:
“Everyone is digging deeper into their own trench and rarely standing up to look in the next trench over, even though the solution to their problems happens to reside there.”
As if this wasn’t bad enough, our entrenchment in our own particular fields leads us to become overly confident in our own systems and approaches. This, in turn, causes us to reflexively apply solutions across the board.
In healthcare this can have disastrous consequences. Stunningly, Epstein cites a study in which cardiac patients were:
“actually less likely to die if they were admitted during a national cardiac meeting, when thousands of cardiologists were away; the researchers suggested it could be because common treatments of dubious effect were less likely to be performed.”
I’ve been picking on healthcare here but it’s not hard to see how our entrenched thinking has invaded many other areas of knowledge.
While this troubling trend does not bode well for our future, there are also signs of hope.
Interdisciplinary synergy
To solve complex problems, we need people with different types and ways of knowing together in the room.
One of things I love about my hospice work is the interdisciplinary approach we bring helping our patients have as good a death as possible. I work with social workers, nurses, doctors, complimentary therapists, and volunteers from all walks of life.
We meet people at the intersection of their physical, medical, emotional, and spiritual needs. It’s not a perfect process, but it beats digging trenches. It’s a model for a complex world and a process that allows us to feel seen.
So if we we want specialization to stop hurting us, we need to ask ourselves one question: Who do we need to invite to the table?
Thank you for posting on this subject, Cylon.
I don’t wish to share my tales of medical woe over the many decades but I must say one thing loud and clear – it isn’t the specialist expertise that is usually the most important factor in treating the poorly – it is the integrity of the practitioner. The fully rounded person will know their limitations and won’t hesitate to refer to others if that is helpful. They will be interested in what the human being (as opposed to the case) is trying to tell them and not dictate to them. They will use their expertise in the best interests of the patient and not for commercial or career prospects.
As you say, this does for all of us. More interest in the world and its living beings and less in placating an ego.
Wishing you and yours well.
Beautifully stated Zara. Integrity, knowledge of one’s own limitations, and seeing the whole person are things we can all aspire to! Peace to you.