A couple of summers ago, I had the pleasure of taking Professor Robichaud’s “Global Health” course through Notre Dame’s Summer Scholars Program. Prior to the first day of class, we read Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains. As a high school student, I had no idea how much this book would change my outlook on both international healthcare and on the factors that shape a successful physician-patient interaction.
Mountains Beyond Mountains details the life of Paul Farmer, an anthropologist and physician who traveled the world striving to change the standard approach to patient treatment and fight tuberculosis. Rather than practice strictly standardized medicine, Farmer stresses the importance of community-based, personalized healthcare in treating disease, especially in impoverished countries. He details how impersonal treatment can oftentimes be ineffective, potentially worsening a problem rather than solving it, despite the fact that it is often praised as “standard of care.” If healthcare is not tailored to the context of the individual or the community, it can lose some of its potency.
Prior to reading this piece of literature, I had never thoroughly considered the possible detrimental effects of standardized treatments and the importance of taking a holistic approach to healthcare. Thanks to Mountains Beyond Mountains, I left with a better understanding of the significance of individualized treatment for clinical outcomes. This novel helped me better understand healthcare by challenging my preconceived notions, making me even more interested in learning about the importance of leading with empathy in the medical field. This book is one of the main reasons I joined the CCIM club here at Notre Dame, as I am determined to prioritize this value of leading with humanity throughout my studies and beyond. I would highly recommend reading Mountains Beyond Mountains to learn more about changing the standard physician-patient interaction to promote increased compassion, which can impart benefits for both patient and physician alike.