Dr. Noemi Poverlovici is a specialist gastroenterologist at Hyperclinica MedLife Oradea and is frequently asked by people how she chose this specialty. She is petite and many imagine that gastroenterology requires strength, especially since the specialty involves endoscopic procedures. However, the doctor says that endoscopy is an elegant procedure that must be done with finesse, not force.
We spoke with Dr. Poverlovici about her choice of medicine and gastroenterology, about the cases that have marked her, and the values she follows.
Choosing Gastroenterology: “If you understand it, the rest comes naturally”
In high school, she was passionate about creative fields and would have liked to pursue interior design, but academically, she excelled in exact sciences. She was also very competitive (a trait that still defines her today), so her parents and siblings advised her to choose medicine, convinced that it was a profession that suited her character.
She studied medicine in Cluj-Napoca and initially chose general surgery at the residency. She admits that she was also influenced by her brother who is a surgeon, but after a short period, she realized that she wanted to pursue gastroenterology. She liked that it was logical – “if you understand it, the rest comes naturally” – and says she was fortunate that her mentors at the Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor in Cluj-Napoca taught her not only the profession but also the kind of doctor she wants to be.
The First Case that Marked Her: “He was mentally shattered and depressed”
Shortly after becoming a specialist doctor, she consulted a 21-year-old young man with Crohn’s disease, a chronic, inflammatory digestive disease with an autoimmune mechanism. The young man had already been diagnosed by another doctor, but had ignored the disease and the recommended treatment for a long time (it was difficult for him to accept that he suffers from a chronic disease and needs long-term treatment), so the symptoms worsened.
When he arrived at Dr. Poverlovici’s office, the young man was anemic, had frequent bloody diarrhea, and had lost over 20 kg. Additionally, because he had missed a lot of work due to intestinal symptoms, he had also lost his job. “He was mentally shattered and depressed,” recalls Dr. Poverlovici. It was difficult for the doctor to promise him that he would get better knowing that there were good chances the disease would have an unfavorable outcome, especially since the patient did not seem very open to following the recommendations. Dr. Poverlovici believes that the emotional aspect is crucial for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases and can influence the course of the disease and the response to treatment.
This patient needed psychological support first and foremost, to accept that he needed treatment and to be consistent in taking the medication. At one point, the doctor felt like she was fighting alongside him, even though she was not the only one supporting him – he also had the support of his family and a psychologist.
This case taught her that it is not enough to know what treatment needs to be done, but that she must first and foremost be a human and communicate with her patients in a way that helps them make a choice. “Of course, the patient has the right to accept or refuse treatment, but sometimes we have to push the patient a little when we know that it will not go well without treatment”, says Dr. Poverlovici. She says that many patients get scared when they read about possible side effects, but the doctor assures them that those treatments would not have been included in protocols if studies did not show that the benefits outweigh the risks.
Today, two years since she first consulted this patient, the doctor has a great satisfaction. “His disease is in remission, under control, he managed to regain his job, and he is even expecting a baby,” she says with a smile.
