CREATIVE CARE:
MAKING SPACE FOR THE UNEXPECTED

OCTOBER 4–6, 2024

Montreal, Canada

2024 THEME

Healthcare professionals are overworked and pressed by ever-increasing responsibilities and administrative burdens. How can they continue to find meaning and express themselves in their work in these circumstances? Are present work conditions an insurmountable obstacle to truly enjoying our work? Perhaps one overlooked notion is that of creativity at work. How can clinicians become creative in their work? What does creativity in health care look like? Are we scared of it?

We propose that creativity is the opposite of a mechanized, dehumanized checklist approach to practicing medicine. A therapeutic interaction is one that feels creative rather than standardized, one that is deeply human and unique to the healer and the patient. It should thus never ignore the human beings in the room (both healer and patient). It is as much about seeing the patient, discovering who she or he is as it is a journey of self-discovery. Thus, such an interaction is open to the unexpected, primed to innovate in response to the needs of the patient and also to those of the health care professional.

This year, we invited speakers to share their experiences in addressing some of the challenges in today's health care. We propose a look at how creativity can be expressed in our roles as physicians, nurses, and patients and how a journey that makes space for the unexpected can bring meaning and joy to our work