Zhu Yi: Ultrasound "magician" transformed into patient's "confidant sister"

She is the big sister in the eyes of patients

Fear can always be cured with love, care and attention

She insists on "walking on two legs" of clinical and scientific research

Just to provide patients with better services

She is like a magician

Use her tenderness to create a "safe haven" for patients

She is Zhu Yi, deputy director of the Ultrasound Department of Sichuan Cancer Hospital

She has multiple roles and has been deeply involved in ultrasound application, gynecological tumor basics and clinical directions for more than ten years, doing her best to help every patient overcome the fear of the disease. She always repeatedly emphasizes: "Patients come to us in the hope of relieving their pain, and as clinicians, we should understand and help them."

Empathy

"Sister Zhu, I'm here again." Recently, an old friend came to Zhu Yi's clinic for a follow-up check-up - a girl in her 20s. The girl's sunny and cheerful demeanor was completely different from the first time Zhu Yi met her.

When we first met, the girl, accompanied by her mother, had an ultrasound examination that revealed a huge tumor of about 15 centimeters in her pelvic and abdominal cavity, and the initial diagnosis was suspected to be ovarian cancer. The girl could not accept it, fell into fear and avoided it. Even after the surgery, her anxiety could not be relieved, and she was unwilling to cooperate with the follow-up treatment.

As a woman and mother, Zhu Yi understood her feelings very well. However, for the better future of the patient, she needed to adjust her condition and continue to cooperate with follow-up treatment. "She is so young and there is no time to waste. But at that time, her mental state needed more attention than the disease itself."

When facing patients who are very resistant to treatment, Zhu Yi usually communicates with the patients' families separately to discuss the patients' disease conditions and mental states. "Many patients feel ashamed of their illness and feel that they have no future. Especially since ultrasound is the first step in diagnosing many diseases, many patients are not mentally prepared." At this time, medical staff should provide more care to help patients establish the cognition that "cancer is not scary". On the other hand, while trying not to talk about the disease, they should pay attention to the patients' daily lives and future plans and become friends with the patients through heart-to-heart talks.

The girl gradually came out of her dark days under Zhu Yi's patient and meticulous care, and before leaving the hospital, she expressed her gratitude to Dr. Zhu. "Occasionally I heal, often I help, and always I comfort." This is what Zhu Yi often said.

Going to school

As a young doctor, Zhu Yi has been working tirelessly in ultrasound medicine for more than 10 years . He has served thousands of cancer patients with his superb skills and gentle attitude. He was awarded the titles of "Outstanding Individual in Medical Ethics and Medical Style" and "Outstanding Medical Worker" of Sichuan Cancer Hospital.

Back to 2023, in pursuit of more superior technology and cutting-edge academic ideas, Zhu Yi went to Japan to study and became the winner of the 44th Sino-Japanese Sasakawa Medical Scholarship (Joint Research) . During his study abroad, the concept of "patient-centered" was deeply rooted in Zhu Yi's heart, and he learned the rigorous work attitude and extreme pursuit of details of Japanese medical workers.

After returning to China, when Zhu Yi faced patients with serious illnesses or those who found it difficult to accept their illnesses, she knew better how to analyze the patients' anxiety and how to choose appropriate words to communicate with the patients and their families. Even when patients encountered problems that were difficult to face, she would cleverly change the subject, allowing the patients to feel cared for and supported in a relaxed atmosphere.

Zhu Yi's clinic has even become a "safe haven" for children with cancer . The children here will be treated more gently and will receive various small gifts carefully prepared by her. "For these young patients, treatment is just an experience in their life. I hope this experience can be as warm and bright as possible. I don't want them to be filled with fear and shadows when they look back on it as adults." Therefore, during the examination, Zhu Yi would communicate with the children in a soft voice and also tell them some scientific stories. They could get to know their own bodies through the "lens" of ultrasound. The scene was like a magic spell, warm and interesting. This would not only make the children no longer afraid, but also make their parents feel at ease.

Zhu Yi's dedication is not only reflected in the service to patients, but also in scientific research. She has always insisted on "walking on two legs" of clinical and scientific research in order to provide patients with better services. She has in-depth research in related professional sub-fields such as the basic and clinical treatment of gynecological tumors and the development of multifunctional targeted contrast agents. As the project leader, she has undertaken one National Natural Science Youth Fund project and two key research and development projects of the Sichuan Provincial Science and Technology Department. She has mainly researched many national and provincial and ministerial projects , published more than 40 academic papers , and participated in the compilation of three Chinese expert consensus and two monographs .

Heritage

Zhu Yi is not only a doctor who heals patients with gentle words, but also a teacher who guides students to become excellent ultrasound doctors.

In daily work, we often encounter such situations: due to the large number of patients in the ultrasound department and the fast pace of medical treatment, some ultrasound doctors are eager to call the next patient in after completing the examination of the previous patient. However, this practice often ignores the feelings of patients. Sometimes the previous patient has not yet tidied his clothes, or may even be wiping his body, and the next patient suddenly breaks in, making people feel uncomfortable. Therefore, Zhu Yi requires his students to wait until the patient has tidied his clothes before calling the next one. This is not only a respect for them, but also a reflection of the humanistic spirit of medicine. When patients feel respected, their medical experience will be greatly improved.

Medical humanities are also gradually being valued in modern medical education. Zhu Yi always instills this concept in his students during his teaching. Zhu Yi firmly believes that only by truly internalizing medical humanities can we externalize them in our actions.

Experts in this article

Zhu Yi, deputy chief physician of Ultrasound Department, outpatient clinic hours: Monday morning (Wuhou Campus)