Behind the Wheel
Drithika Jayanth
In this simple digital line drawing, I explore the idea of taking the patient’s perspective, with or without capacity, when caring for them. The viewer is invited to take the position of the driver of a Rolls-Royce. Effectively, we are the patient, but in the position he views himself: young, active and working for one of the most popular vehicle manufacturing companies in his time. In contrast with the foreground, the background is depicted in real time on the ward – the true setting the patient and I were in. Through the medium of a drawing, I can depict a surreal setting which suggests that both the patient’s understanding of reality and my own perception of reality can somehow coexist. This mutual understanding allows me to support him and maintain patient safety, and importantly, respect his right to feeling safe and rationalise the world around him – allowing him to have control of his own wheel.
Having family members with dementia, I have dealt with similar situations in the past – yet this experience has taught me that when caring for patients with any form of dementia, not one size fits all. Creating this piece has shown me that some essential patient information cannot be found readily in their medical notes, and that considering the perspective the patient themselves provide – whether it is fact or not – is equally as crucial.
I enjoyed the process of creating this piece as I feel that I have reflected on my own approach to caring for older patients – understanding that although that there are some procedural steps to patient interactions, I will require an element of creativity, open-mindedness and self-awareness to supplement this and better attend to a patient’s holistic needs. Furthermore, creating this piece has made me want to further explore other ways in which whole-person care presents in a clinical setting, and what my role is in ensuring its fruition.
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I really like this piece of artwork and I think the contrast between the patients current and past experience is really poignant and effective and gives a key insight into what it is like to work with patients with dementia. It gives a very powerful visual representation of both the artists and patients experience and how they managed to overcome any barriers in working with this patient by listening and understanding which allowed them to perform their tasks more effectively. Their reflection shows the importance of patient centred care and treating every patient as an individual which will be very helpful to take forward into placements in future.
I believe that this piece of art perfectly captures the essence of what it means to be empathetic as a health-care worker in a clinical setting. It encourages one to put an effort into seeing the world from a patient’s perspective regardless of their medical capacity which might be a crucial step in providing them with holistic care. It shows the importance of inculcating creativity, empathy and open mindedness into one’s clinical practice and illustrates perfectly not only how it can make one better at their job but also how it can positively impact the patient.
This artwork provides an interesting perspective on the contrast of what the patient may be perceiving as opposed to the doctor. The fusion of both worlds gives an insight into how both parties must collaborate and find an even ground to gain an understanding of each other. The accompanying story is useful to understand how listening can grant access to a whole new view which may not have been seen before, as depicted in the artwork through the view of the car. My favourite aspect of this is the choice for a first-person view, as it feels personal to this individual patient and provides their unique viewpoint to the world, displaying how each patient has their own individual views and perspectives.
This insightful piece explores the complexities of caring for patients with dementia, underlining the significance of understanding and embracing their unique perspectives. Using a digital drawing, it vividly portrays the coexistence of the patient’s idealized world and the hospital reality, emphasizing the need for flexible, individualized care. The artist’s personal experience with dementia adds authenticity, encouraging healthcare providers to approach patient care with creativity and open-mindedness. Ultimately, it prompts reflection on the importance of recognizing diverse realities in healthcare settings.
This piece shows how a patient centred approach is essential in consultations to consider their perspective as shown by the first person view of the foreground. This gives a powerful depiction of the perspective you miss if you don’t take a creative approach with patients beyond the procedural steps. It depicts the importance of actively listening to patients, taking time to understand their individual situation and using this empathy to aid in their care.
I like how it highlights the vast, unique experiences each patient has in their lives that shapes them and that they bring into the clinical space.
This creative artwork cleverly depicts the idea of patient-centered care. This is important in modern day medical practice, putting patients in the ‘driving seat’ of their care. The view from the car is a powerful metaphor for empowering patients in medical practice.
Another way of viewing this piece is as a patient suffering from a mental disorder where their reality is not always the reality that everyone else sees. This could highlight how confusing living with a brain disorder can be. This is shown by the car in a hospital ward – something that normally would not exist together.
I think this piece is very clever in the way it depicts various ideas and could be interpreted in multiple ways.
This artwork displays a patient in a ward behind the wheel of a car. For me it demonstrates the importance of taking the time with individual patients to learn about them and understand their story, and emphasises how much of an impact this can make. It reminds me that each patient should be placed at the centre of care and that each patient has different needs. I really like this piece as it aims to show the patient perspective and how they can sometimes feel detached from the ward / medical team and all it takes is one caring professional to help reconnect them.
This post attracts my interest because in a simplistic but aesthetic way the creator has demonstrated the patients’ perspective towards their own healthcare. For example drawing the only person in the image (assumed to be the patient) in the driving seat portrays the one ethical pillar of medicine of Autonomy, where the patient has the right to form well informed decisions about their healthcare or treatment plans. Also the use of the contrasting colour of green to draw the clinical environment could also show how in the patients viewpoint they can dissociate from the stereotypical view of all patients being simply a person in hospital which links the argument of “what is health”. For example they could be an inpatient/outpatient at a clinical setting but view themselves as healthy and not ill – shown by the connotations of freedom by the image of being in the drivers seat of a car. Which then further shows the importance of expertise with communication between patient and clinician to provide more holistic care.
I really like this art piece as it focuses on the personal life of the patient and allows you to reflect on the impacts of dementia on someone’s life in non clinical way. It is also a reminder that being interested and remaining empathetic while working in medicine allows patients to feel in control of their treatment and feel understood.
The piece of artwork emphasises the importance of empathy and putting yourself into the perspective of the patient which is highlighted by the choice to use a first person view. I like how by placing the viewer in the driver’s seat, the artist is further emphasising the importance of empathy and trying to understand the patient’s perspective. I also like how the contrast between the car interior and the hospital setting reflects the difference in the true reality and the patient’s perceived reality. This piece of art reminds me that compassionate care involves adapting our approach to each individual patient, actively listening to and valuing a patient’s reality.
This artwork shows how dementia is quite unforgiving.
The car could be a metaphor for the man’s life as the car’s black lines highlights how the man is still passionate about his job as the black draws our focus compared to the teal lines of the ward, showing how the mans only focus is on the motor comapny. This could also suggest how the man is seemingly lost within his own world and is disregarding his current situation as the ward is drawn to be more blurred which evokes sympathy as the man cannot return to a time before dementia.
Despite there being a steering wheel, the car has no control due to no pedals or gears which could indicate how his dementia will inevitably worsen with no way to stop. Even if there were controls, the IV bag within the car remains as a constant reminder of his condition and how shows how he can no longer be independent without any aid highlighting the futility of his situation.
I really like this piece of art as I think that as the artist says, it shows the importance of understanding the patients perspective and trying to incorporate/mix your own ideas and perspective with theirs to improve their experience but also that it really demonstrates shared decision making in a clinical setting, as it could be seen that the patient is literally driving the conversation and therefore the consultation. I think it shows how vital it is to have empathy and adapt each interaction with a patient to that person through good communication and a mindful approach, the patient had a better experience with more individualised care as they were not put at risk by leaving their bed, emphasising the significance of patient centred care. Furthermore, as the patient is alone in the car and there is no one else on the ward it could be showing that the patient feels isolated by the disease and maybe to an extent the hospital.
This piece shows the perspective of someone sitting in a driving seat, which is normally a place where someone is independent and in control. However, through the windscreen there’s hospital beds and medical equipment and this shows how quickly life can change and you can go from being in control of your situation to feeling helpless in a hospital bed. Also the artwork shows the emotional side of illness and how lonely and isolated it can get in a ward. This piece is quite powerful as its a reminder of how someone’s circumstances can change so suddenly.
I really like this artwork as it emphasises the stark difference between reality and what some patients may be experiencing. It also is a good metaphor for the shared decision making model as there are two seats in the car, the one behind the wheel for the patient so they can choose their own treatment pathway, but there is also a second spare seat for the doctor to sit to help the patient ‘drive’ through the treatment process. It could also be projecting how the perspectives are so different for doctors and patients emphasising how we need to treat the patients with patience if they are overwhelmed by the new environment
I think this piece of art is really meaningful as giving the patient the “steering wheel” of their care, makes a bigger deal out of the patient’s desires, than letting them pick a treatment pathway that has been laid out in front of them. It is also quite a challenging piece because giving the patient full control is scary and difficult, and what the patient wants may be against your wishes for the patient. The use of imagery of a car here is quite intriguing because it shows the patient’s perspective. It is very difficult to know what the driver of a car is seeing without getting in the car and looking. The same is true in regards to a patient’s care as the doctor needs to be able to see the patient’s perspective but this requires an active step forward from the doctor.