"Humanize to heal" as a care strategy in the cardiac intensive care unit of a specialized pediatric institute in Peru

Abstract

According to the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), to humanize is "to make someone or something human, familiar and affable", which implies an empathic contact between two or more people. In the health field, "humanize" are all those practices oriented to improve the quality of care and patient care. During this process, the aim is also to maintain patient safety and avoid errors in the actions of health professionals. When speaking of humanization in health care, it goes far beyond simply showing friendship; it is about personalizing the care provided to the patient and not minimizing them to a simple object of care or a simple disease but considering them as what they are, a human being. It involves not only a relationship with the patient but also with the patient's relatives or companions and other healthcare team members. When care is humanized, pain is treated with drugs and looks, words, smiles, details, listening, empathy, emotional support, and ethical practices.