Essay Example on Patch Adams: Inspiring True Story of Healing With Humor

Patch Adams is a movie, which is about a man who in his lifetime has experienced many things, from being on one on one evaluation with a psychiatric in the hospital. The film is based on a true story, Adams's life, from being institutionalized in a hospital after struggling with suicidal thoughts and depression to being a well and respected doctor who calms and heals people with humor. The nurses keep a distance and are sarcastic, while the doctors do not pay attention to Adams. This becomes Adams's character development turning point since he realizes that he can heal himself in the institution. He bonds himself and becomes outspoken with other patients in the hospital by helping them socialize and laugh with one another. Some of the ethical principles are violated with different communication interactions in the Patch Adams movie.

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Medical ethics can be considered as a broad spectrum which is used as dictates in a system of healthcare. They can be defined as moral principles that contain values with judgments in the practice of medicine. It is, however, quite tricky to decide what is morally wrong or right from one person to another. Patch Adams's movie is dealing with first with aspects of medical ethics. There is a display of Robin William, who is acting as the main character, Patch Adams, who is a medical student who has to believe that happiness is the best way to treat patients. This is seen when Adam is in a mental institution after having suicidal thoughts, where he realizes that he has a passion for helping others through his humor. Medical ethics have been violated in the movie.

At the beginning of the movie, one of the patients from the mental hospital is seen being injected without his consent. This is one of the ethical issues that is falling under the justice principle, where all the patients are supposed to be treated fairly. It is one of the violations of medical ethics principles because the doctor did not ask or tell the patient that he is supposed to insert a needle. Throughout the movie, Adams is getting attached to many patients consistently, even if there is a law that says there should be no personal relationship between a doctor and a patient such that it must be professional. There are contracts with the beneficence theory all because getting emotionally attached to the patient does not act to the best of patient's interest and social health, resulting in a bad ending. An example from the movie, when Carin was told by Patch that Larry was not weird because she needs to know him, she killed herself. Patch had a real purpose because he had felt the humor of helping patients while he was getting so much attached to them. Therefore, to ensure a safe, professional environment, a doctor should have no attachment to his patients.

Another medical ethic that is related to the movie is doctors performing their duties contrary to the patient's consent. There is one incidence in Canada where a young girl refused blood transplant because of her religious beliefs; This relates to the forced medication incident in the movie, which shows a grey area because the medication is for the patient's benefit but violating human rights, which is one of the common ethical problems in healthcare.

Many health communication aspects are portrayed in the Patch Adams movie. Can humor be the best medicine is the current question that brings the relationship between patients and nurses hence communication? There are different models of communication, such as physician communication, biopsychosocial communication, and collaborative communication. The biopsychosocial interface has an overall approach to health with an encompassing phenomenon where it still influences many people. Therefore, it means that it is not only physical ailments that affect health. Overall, health is a product of emotions and physical. Biopsychosocial looks at the patient's physical condition, beliefs, thoughts, and social expectations. In the movie, there is bad communication in this model because there is a mental patient who has inserted a needle without his consent. This is an example of poor communication. In collaborative communication, Adams believed that it is through the connection of the patient's thoughts and emotions that are important as far as physical patient interaction is needed. After being released from the hospital, he studied medicine; he dismissed his conform and views on the thoughts of how a medical profession is supposed to act. He has devoted himself to helping patients in whatever he could. The best way for Adam is through communicating with his patients using humor. This is through making them laugh in which they would feel better automatically.

In today's society, many patients in medical facilities are mostly to be in a physical environment. In this center, the caregiver is controlled by nursing ethics not to communicate with the patients. This is terrible communication between the patients and doctors. The connection between should be open as long as it is a matter of medical matters so as the patient can heal. Communication is excellent because through this, there is interaction, which makes the patient feel good.

Conclusion

Patch Adams's movie has brought out a new perspective on the care that patients should be given. He has encouraged the terminal patient's laughter, which he has demonstrated through having patient attention, while laughter can suppress their suffering. He has also shown the importance of knowing the ins and outs of medical knowledge, compassion, and the challenges of treating patients with humor. It is also essential to listen to the patient's feelings. Those are some of the critical and insightful moments that are seen in the film, which are still relevant today and can be applied in healthcare. From the movie, there is also a need to take care of elderly patients, especially helping them to eat. This is seen when the patch persuades Aggie to eat. It is a sign of respect and humanization in the treatment and the care of the elderly, which is an essential tool in caring for the aged.