Dehumanization of health care

Degrading medical treatment
Abusive treatment of women in labour
Undignified medical treatment

Nature

Patients are being perceived and treated as things or nonpersons or lesser persons without any warmth in human interaction. The same social forces that contribute to dehumanization in economic and political milieus lead to dehumanization in health care: aggregation of services, bureaucratization of services, secularization of values, professionalization of skills, and proliferation of technologies.

Background

The dehumanization of health care emerged as a recognized global concern in the late 20th century, as patient advocacy groups and medical ethicists highlighted widespread reports of impersonal treatment and neglect of patient dignity. International studies and exposés, such as those by the World Health Organization and the Lancet Commission, documented systemic failures across diverse health systems, prompting calls for reforms to restore empathy and respect in clinical practice (https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/value-of-death).

Incidence

Dehumanization of health care is a pervasive issue affecting both developed and developing countries, with reports of patients experiencing neglect, lack of empathy, and impersonal treatment in hospitals and clinics worldwide. Studies indicate that such practices contribute to patient dissatisfaction, reduced trust in medical systems, and poorer health outcomes, highlighting the global scale and significance of the problem.
In 2023, a widely publicized incident at a major hospital in Paris, France, revealed systemic failures in patient care, where individuals were left unattended for hours, leading to preventable complications. This case sparked national debate about the erosion of compassion in modern health care.

Claim

The highly technical nature of hospitals and specialist practices is bewildering. Many patients do not understand what is going on and want someone to listen to them, to make them feel less like an object.

The architectural design of modern British hospitals is soulless; aesthetically pleasing dimensions that would provide an atmosphere of healing are absent from modern hospital buildings.