By Brian Donley, Chief executive, Cleveland Clinic London
For the last 2,400 years, since the time of Hippocrates, healthcare has been about balancing the science of medicine and the art of medicine. Where the art can be understood as the empathy expressed from a caregiver to a patient, the science can be seen in the innovations driving extraordinary breakthroughs in patient care, helping to save many millions of lives over the past century. As we look forward to the next 100 years, we will see the growing power of science allowing more time to focus on empathy.
From pioneering heart treatments in the 1950s, to recent breakthroughs in face and uterus transplant surgery, those at the forefront of medical innovation have often looked to technology. Empathy should be at the core of that drive to innovate, as we look to help patients with the most complex medical needs, ensuring science and art work together to provide the best care.