Today, our world is fast changing and it is unstoppable given that several processes within organizations have been made to be automated by technology. AI and robotics have revolutionized some aspects of industries ranging from manufacturing, finance, and transportation industries. However, there is one realm in which human input should not be eliminated in due course – it is healthcare.
Imagine this scenario: The respondent, Dr. Akinwale, had been a family physician of the Illustrious Medical Center in Lagos for more than twenty years. During those years he was fortunate to experience the advancement through technology that was brought about by such things as electronic medical record, imaging and computer aided diagnostics. Sometimes, he enjoyed how these tools augmented efficiency and effectiveness, but Dr. Akinwale could not forget why he sought a medical career – patients.
Chief among them was the opportunity to foster warm connections with patients and, quite literally, shepherd some of them through some of life’s most profound and difficult experiences. That's why, despite the accelerating push toward automation, Dr. Akinwale felt certain aspects should remain fundamentally human-driven. Specifically, the practices of delivering difficult news and providing emotional support through tough diagnoses.
He'd been on the receiving end of that conversation himself years ago. Dr. Akinwale would never forget the empathy and care his doctor showed when breaking the devastating news that his wife had late-stage breast cancer. The gentle way the doctor explained everything, answering each frantic question, helped Dr. Akinwale process the shocking diagnosis.
Could an AI or robot really replicate that level of emotional intelligence and compassionate bedside manner? In his opinion, technology may be crucial for test analysis and clinical data, but it could never replace the innate human ability to sense someone's state and adjust your tone, body language and wording accordingly.
Simple phrases like "I know this is very difficult, but we will get through this together" could make the difference between a patient feeling hopeless despair or cautious optimism that they had a supportive partner. When imparting life-changing news, every nuance matters.
Dr. Akinwale had seen this firsthand with countless patients over the years. He vividly recalled a young mother named Aisha who came to him feeling a lump in her breast. After running tests, the results confirmed an aggressive form of cancer. Watching Aisha's face fall as he broke the life-altering diagnosis was one of the hardest moments of his career. But he knew the only way to help her process it was to be present, to hold her hand, to look her in the eyes with empathy and conviction when he said "You are not alone. We have excellent treatment options and I will walk every step of this journey with you."
In those sacred moments of emotional devastation or when diving into a patient's hopes, fears and medical history to properly contextualize their needs - simple algorithms and robotic scripts would fall short. It takes a human's hard-earned experience, intuition and firsthand understanding of our shared emotional condition to establish that profound connection. Without it, practicing medicine would be a hollow, clinical transaction devoid of healing's deeper purpose.
Dr. Akinwale knew automation's role in healthcare would only grow, and in many ways that excited him as a means to reduce error and increase efficiency. But he would always insist on maintaining human primacy when it came to cultivating the doctor-patient relationship and navigating the soulful complexities of birth, death, trauma and recovery. Those moments of staggering vulnerability and existential truth could never be automated without undermining healthcare at its core.
The march of technology is inexorable, but physicians like Dr. Akinwale represent why a human touch can never be fully replicated. For doctors are not just technicians, but guided souls helping shepherd patients through life's profoundest passages. It is an intrinsically human vocation demanding we embrace both mind and spirit. And that is something no automation can replace.