‘It is always, always a good idea to go and be with a patient’

Kimberly D. Manning, MD, gives the Jordan J. Cohen Humanism in Medicine Lecture at Learn Serve Lead 2024: The AAMC Annual Meeting on Nov. 10 in Atlanta.

Credit: Kaveh Sardari

Kimberly D. Manning, MD, started her Jordan J. Cohen Humanism in Medicine Lecture at Learn Serve Lead 2024: The AAMC Annual Meeting with a promise: That she would cry at least once by the end of the session. It was a promise she kept.

"You should know that every single day, 365 days a year, I cry at least once a day," said Manning, who is a professor of medicine and vice chair of RYSE (DEI) initiatives at the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta. "Humanism and the kindness of our patients and what they teach us, and this immense privilege that we have to care for human beings, it's sometimes something to cry about. And we have to normalize emotions other than just anger, dark humor, and sarcasm. I think that crying can be a really beautiful and cleansing thing."

Many in the packed audience would experience this kind of cleansing as Manning shared emotional lessons she learned about the power of being present with her patients, colleagues, and mentees throughout her career.

She offered examples of how as little as three intentional minutes spent with a patient each day - getting to know them, being present with them, and earning their trust - was enough to improve her ability to recognize subtle warning signs of trouble.

Like with one of her patients who would always talk to her about his dog, Manning recognized something was wrong when he slept through their usual conversation time. He was soon found to be septic. And the time she spent playing cards and learning about banana pudding recipes from another patient that helped her realize a mistake that would have put the patient through an unnecessary, invasive procedure. And the moments built up over time that allowed a woman in her 80s to open up to Manning about her regrets about not doing more of what she wanted to do when she was younger. In this case, as with many others, it was wisdom from the patient that changed Manning's life.

"I remembered [the woman] saying, 'Do stuff,'" Manning said. "It's hard to permit yourself to do stuff when your identity is wrapped up in helping people."

Manning has used this lesson as a reminder when the pulls of her family life and career tempt her to neglect her own wants and needs.

And it's something her intern reminded her of when she attempted to power through her shift at the hospital even after her father was hospitalized for a stroke thousands of miles away in California.

"She said, 'Dr. Manning, I want you to do what you would have us do,'" Manning recalled. "[She] gave back to me a lesson I'd been giving to them."

Because of the intern's bravery, Manning said she was able to spend precious time with her father before he died.

It's gestures like these that make medicine so innately human, Manning said.

With the lecture taking place immediately after a plenary session discussing advances in artificial intelligence (AI), Manning added that her hope is that the technology will give health professionals more time to focus on the human parts of medicine by making the other responsibilities of the profession more efficient.

"There is always an occasion for humanism, I don't care how much AI you have," she said. "And I do like AI, but there is always an occasion for humanism."

To Manning, human connection is at the root of medical practice, and patient care will always require the person-to-person experience.

"It is always, always a good idea to go and be with a patient - a human in three dimensions," she said. "Never underestimate the power of humanism and your presence."