Between technology and care: keys to humanizing healthcare

Abstract

This study analyzes the importance of humanization in healthcare, particularly in high-pressure contexts such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a critical review, it identifies the factors that hinder patient-centered care, including work overload, mechanized routines, depersonalized interactions, excessive reliance on technology, and structural deficiencies in health systems. These elements directly impact the quality of care and contribute to dehumanizing practices, including obstetric violence. The study highlights the key role of nursing professionals as agents of humanized care and emotional support in times of crisis, emphasizing the need to strengthen their skills in communication, empathy, and holistic attention. It also stresses the urgency of incorporating humanistic content in the education of future healthcare professionals from the earliest stages of university training, using active methodologies, clinical simulation, interdisciplinary projects, volunteerism, and reflective storytelling. Successful experiences from Latin American and European universities are presented, demonstrating that innovative and collaborative strategies can foster the development of ethical, sensitive, and patient-centered professionals. The study concludes that humanization must be adopted as a cross-cutting principle within both healthcare systems and educational institutions in order to ensure more respectful, compassionate, and transformative care that promotes the physical, emotional, and social well-being of individuals.