When you visit a medical specialist, an emergency room, or a patient in the hospital, are you ever struck by a sense that many doctors are so focused on the scientific aspects of diagnosis and treatment that they ignore, maybe even become annoyed by, things like pain, fear, or anxiety?

In her book Medicine As Ministry: Reflections on Suffering, Ethics, and Hope, Dr. Margaret Mohrmann, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia, proposed a dramatically different perspective that could drastically change the nature of medical training and treatment.

She contended that doctors tend to view their roles and responsibilities too narrowly. The ultimate object of medicine, she wrote, is not just to diagnose and cure disease, but to alleviate suffering. In other words, doctors should see themselves as healers, not merely scientists.

"The practice of the ministry of medicine," she added, "is the practice of paying attention." Being attentive means sensing, treating seriously, and responding appropriately to the myriad feelings that accompany illness and injury.

In her view, the most needed remedy for the kinds of suffering doctors face daily is not more or better drugs, but more caring. She said doctors should listen more, even if it makes them weep. She believes compassion and empathy are healing agents for pain and anxiety. Genuine gestures of concern -- from a comforting squeeze of the hand to a follow-up phone call or visit -- can be as important as prescriptions and surgical procedures.

I think she’s right. It takes moral courage for a doctor to keep an open heart. But what a difference it would make.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.