The Invisible Patient, The dehumanisation of Medicine

Nº160 SEPTEMBER 2026

Imagine being forgotten for hours on a stretcher in an emergency department. This is a reality for many Portuguese people who feel, quite literally, invisible in hospitals. Modern medicine faces a paradox: it has never been better equipped to diagnose and treat disease, yet it has never seemed so far removed from human suffering. Amid technological advances and both productivity and bureaucratic pressures, we are losing sight of the fact that every patient is, first and foremost, a unique person, each with their own history, fears and hopes.

Drawing on direct lived experiences, this book invites patients and healthcare professionals alike to reflect on the importance of humanising healthcare. It is a warning that medicine urgently needs to put the suffering person back at its centre and a reminder that seeing and hearing patients is the foundation of effective medical care.