[Interview] Korea’s most ‘patient-oriented doctor’ focuses on humans instead of diseases

A doctor achieves demigod status among patients by soothing their hearts with outstanding communication skills. One such doctor is Professor Kang Beo-deul of the Department of Hemato-Oncology at CHA University Bundang Medical Center.

Professor Kang ranked first in a mobile platform's “Patient Experience Excellent Doctor Survey” conducted in 2022 among 5,870 doctors in tertiary general hospitals nationwide. Patient experience evaluation is a key indicator of patient-oriented medical care.

Kang will speak at the “Hospital Innovation and Patient Experience Conference 2024 (HiPex 2024)” at Severance Hospital in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, from June 19-21 on the theme of “Looking at the patient, not the cancer.”

Ahead of the lecture, Korea Biomedical Review interviewed her to learn more about her expertise and experience.

Question: What does the theme of your talk, “Looking at the patient, not the cancer,” mean? We guess it means reaching out to the patient's mind, not the disease, but it doesn't ring a bell. Could you give a hint before the lecture?

Answer: As an oncologist, when treating patients, I prioritize what kind of cancer they have, their targets, and what drugs will work best. Still, I think it's important to understand the cancer patient to determine the best course of treatment. I titled this lecture “Looking at the Patient, Not the Cancer” because I think we need to understand the patient's current psychological state, their role in the family, whether they have financial difficulties, and whether they have family members who can help them in case of side effects.

Q: Being recognized as a “Doctor of Excellence in Patient Experience” means you've spent time with many patients. You must have many memorable patients and anecdotes. Could you share some with us?

A: When I was recognized as a Physician of Excellence in Patient Experience, I was very happy to receive the award, not because I received the award but because my patients understood how I felt. An oncologist accompanies patients on their journey from diagnosis to end-of-life. From the sadness, pain, fear, and confusion when first diagnosed to the joy of good progress during treatment, to the sadness when the disease worsens, and finally to the end of life, we often feel like family.

There are many (memorable) patients, but I remember the patient and his family who traveled from Pohang along the southeastern coast to undergo chemotherapy. They traveled a long way; the whole family worked together for the patient and overcame difficult situations. Still, the patient passed away a month before his daughter’s wedding. I was so frustrated that I couldn't fulfill his wish to walk down the aisle with his daughter’s hand. I received a letter from the daughter in my email a month later. It was a beautiful wedding photo with a happy smile on her face, and she wrote that it was a beautiful sunny day and that her nephew, who looks like her father, danced and made the whole wedding hall laugh, and that she felt her father was with her, so she didn't cry, and she went through the wedding with grace.

Q: On the contrary, we wonder if there were cases where you wish you had done something for a patient and later regretted failing.

A: I had a patient who needed to be hospitalized, but he refused to be hospitalized every time and asked me to do this or that based on what he had researched online. Later, she was hospitalized due to a sudden deterioration in her condition. When I disinfected her wounds, she told me that she couldn't be hospitalized because she had in-laws at home who were sicker than her, and she had to take care of them. I remember feeling so sorry that I had misunderstood her as a problem patient who didn't listen to her doctor while she had to take care of her in-laws at home.

Q: Many doctors try to understand their patients, but it's easier said than done. Even if they understand it, putting it into practice is not easy. If a junior doctor asked you for advice on connecting with patients, what would you tell them?

A: It may not apply to all cases, but I often tell junior doctors in oncology that they shouldn't mistreat patients because they are having a hard time. Oncology is very stressful because we deal with a lot of critically ill patients, so the workload is high, and there are always emergencies. However, I advise junior doctors to think twice before speaking to patients because they meet us at the most difficult time of their lives, and our words can either comfort or hurt them.

Q: Do you have any tips on how to deal with “troublemaker patients” and guardians?

A: I also have a hard time dealing with difficult patients and their caregivers. But I think there is a lot of anxiety underlying their behavior. It's not their anger against me but their insecurities, so I try to keep such words and acts out of my mind. Some people record my words every time and ask me questions like an interrogation, and they grab every word and say something. Still, I try to explain in more detail and gain their trust.

Q: Finally, what does 'patient' mean to you?

A: They are the “teachers of my life.” As I meet cancer patients and experience the end-of-life process, I often think about how I should prepare for the end of my life, how to overcome sudden setbacks, and how to live. I remind myself not to lose sight of the important things in life, to live each day with gratitude, and to be good to my family. I'm sorry to my child because I often go home after she falls asleep. I'm trying to balance my work and life.