Florence Nightingale was a pioneer in the field of nursing in the second half of the 19th century (Wikipedia). She was known for her utmost compassion for her caretakers and was nicknamed “The Lady with the Lamp” — she was the first to initiate the practice of checking on patients in the evenings and nights and not just during the day. Turned out it had a positive effect on patients. A true innovation in patient caregiving for her time.
Florence Nightingale effect hence is when a caregiver feels an utmost compassion, kindness and attachment for his or her caretaker, then usually it goes away when the caretaker is not in need of care anymore.
But I’m pretty sure there’s also a reverse Florence Nightingale effect, at least there is one for me.
I did not necessarily have any negative experience with the health system or specifically with health caregivers prior to My Hodgkin Lymphoma, however it was still a pleasant surprise to be joining the hemato-oncological patient ecosystem. Why?
Firstly, the moment my diagnosis was final I got a call from my new Personal Coordinator, affiliated with the healthcare provider. Shocking? She said she would help me “navigate the health system” and assist in anything I might need — knowing my benefits, in-network/out-of-network logistics and so forth.
My PCP (Primary Care Physician) was extremely helpful throughout the pre-diagnosis procedures, and still is — when I need prescription drugs, lab tests or other medical procedures related to this illness.
The hemato-oncologist who is actually the main function treating My Hodgkin Lymphoma, with whom I can text regarding any concern, unfamiliar symptom, questions about genetics and practically anything else (including my feelings about this entire situation); and is always a good listener, kind and positive.
No wonder I developed a feeling of fondness towards them for helping me go through this difficult life event; I wanted for them to be happy, successful, maybe even proud of my progress in getting healthy.
At times I thought that perhaps ALL cancer patients are getting the VIP experience, receiving a level of care not available for other patients with other illnesses. Who else gets text messages from their oncologist, asking how they’re doing after treatments? Who else gets every health-related need addressed so promptly without fighting windmills?
But maybe it was just me being fortunate to have empathic, professional, modest and matter-of-factly physicians throughout My Hodgkin Lymphoma journey. I don’t know. In any event, it is no surprise I developed the reverse Florence Nightingale effect.
