Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.

The statement implies that a person should focus more on thinking of innovative ideas than
unnecessarily discussing about people. In relation to medicine, a doctor should carry out their
profession such that they focus on finding the diagnosis and executing an effective treatment plan
rather than discussing about people whether this includes staff members or patients. This ensures
the doctor does not deter them from their primary goal, which is to provide care to the patient. If
the doctor ensures they keep updated with various resources, such as the British Medical Journal
and NICE guidelines, this can keep them informed in the profession and help them provide ideas
which are helpful towards providing effective treatment. This will improve the doctor-patient
relationship and relationship with the medical team, whereas discussing about patients shows a sign
of unprofessionalism and disadvantageous to the doctor and the team. This also breaks the rule of
patient confidentiality and undermines the relationship with the patient. Hence it is important to
primarily focus on ideas rather than people.

However, in such a profession which involves people and application of ideas, the focus may be
required to shift on people. For example, if a patient refuses treatment which is potentially
beneficial to them, the doctor may require to find the reason behind this and advise them
accordingly. This involves being curious about the particular patient as every patient is different.
Pertaining this curiosity about people can assist a doctor to develop effectively throughout their
profession.

In conclusion, whilst it is best to remain curious about ideas, it is essential that the doctor remains
curious about people and this can even improve the patient-doctor relationship substantially. This
curiosity should be used such that the patient may feel at ease to convey more on their personal and
health issues, which can aid to effective palliative care to the patient. In this manner, I feel it is
essential for the doctor to remain curious about people.