Humanizing: to put the heart into technology

Section: Editorial

Authors

Almudena Santano Magariño

Position

Directora de Enfermería.  Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro-Majadahonda (Madrid)

Versión en Español

Título:

Humanizar: poner corazón a la tecnología

Back in 1934, Jane Goodall claimed that “technology on its own is not enough, we must also put our heart into it”. The question now is what is happening for “humanization” to occupy a central role and impregnate different disciplines, and to become the current trend in 2018 in settings such as business management, human resources, economy and technology.

This might have been a natural evolution: if the profile of users (healthcare, technological or business) has changes in its demands and needs, a change in organization seems inevitable, with a required adaptation in its behaviour and structure.

In Spain, due to the HUCI project (Humanizing Intensive Care), humanization has become a real trend, and anyone who wants to incorporate the “H” and provide visibility to “the human side” of healthcare work can incorporate it into their practice. Specific humanization plans are being progressively incorporated into healthcare work. In the words of Lévi-Strauss: “a well-structured humanism does not start on its own, but places the world before life, life before man, respect for others before self-esteem”. In our case, the Strategic Plan for Healthcare Humanization in the Comunidad de Madrid has offered to us a unique opportunity, because it places “the other” (either the patient, relative or colleague) within our range of vision and, most of all, recovers the interest for something that might seem lost to us, or at least outside our personal equation, such as

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