Zen and the art of emergency medicine – The Medical Journal of Australia

The tension between technological efficiency and the preservation of human empathy is a growing concern within high-pressure medical environments. In a piece published May 11, 2026, in MJA InSight+, author Andrew Tagg explores the psychological toll of the modern emergency department, questioning how healthcare providers can maintain their humanity in a system designed for maximum throughput.

Tagg describes the environment of the modern hospital as one of sterile, clinical precision. He characterizes these spaces as having long, white, perfectly straight corridors that appear designed for the efficient movement of objects rather than people. This atmosphere is further emphasized by spotless floors, bloodless lighting, and doors that operate with a soft pneumatic sigh.

The author compares this experience to the television series Severance, where employees wander immaculate hallways performing tasks they only partially understand, with their lives divided into strict compartments.

In the high tech, fast paced world of the emergency department, how do we ensure we hold onto our humanity?

Andrew Tagg, MJA InSight+

According to Tagg, the emergency department must rely on categorization to prevent the system from collapsing under the weight of complex patient needs, varying risks, and high volumes of urgency. This necessity leads to a linguistic shift where patients are reduced to shorthand descriptions to help staff manage the cognitive load.

Common examples of this shorthand include referring to patients as the chest pain in Bed 6, the appendicitis in cubicle 4, or the ankle waiting for an X-ray. While this language is not intended to be cruel, it serves as a form of cognitive survival for clinicians operating in an environment of constant uncertainty.

While the system generally functions well—assessing, investigating, and discharging patients as rectangles slide across a digital screen—Tagg argues that a subtle and damaging transformation occurs between triage and discharge. He observes that during this process, a person is often transformed into a problem to be solved.

This dehumanization is not limited to the patient experience; it also impacts the medical practitioners. Tagg suggests that when every patient encounter is framed as a task to be completed rather than a human interaction, the natural curiosity of the doctor begins to fade.

The analysis highlights a critical conflict in modern emergency medicine: the very tools and protocols used to ensure efficiency and survival in a crisis may simultaneously erode the empathetic connection between the physician and the patient.