The True Meaning of Hope and Healing

As a physician, I have sworn to cure the sick, provide comfort and preserve life. If a patient dies under my care, have I forsaken my duties? Not if I have discharged my functions diligently and with utmost care. Yet I remember vividly when I was in training, I felt overwhelming guilt every time a patient would pass away. I felt...

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The Conspiracy of Silence

The nurse told me that a new patient was referred to me. The biopsy result confirming a diagnosis of cancer came out only yesterday. I went over the patient’s record then asked the nurse “Does the patient already know?”. When I was a student, we were taught that it is unethical to discuss a patient’s...

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