Alleviation of suffering is the central tenet of the practice of medicine. However, because of multiple technical advances,
medicine today—in its zealous striving to cure illness and prolong life—may, in fact, contribute to a patient’s suffering
67. It is critical to question patients about their sources of suffering, ranging from physical and psychosocial to spiritual.
Regular formal assessment leads to identification of sources or suffering, and identification, in turn, leads to treatment
and intervention trials.
Even when a patient’s suffering admits of no cure, the act of listening and accompanying the patient on his journey is healing
in itself. A physician’s ability to hear about the patient’s experience assures patients of their connection to a concerned
physician who is not frightened to hear the truth and will not abandon them.