To 'retain our humanity in times of such crisis and give our patients’ family some solace that they were treated with dignity'.

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

April 12th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Sunday habit is for one of us to walk up the lane to pick up the newspapers: she reads the Star; I read the Sunday New York Times.

I am convinced I get the better value but we share headlines and editorial cartoons.

covid virusThe Times this Sunday is almost wall to wall COVID-19 coverage or where President Trump dropped the ball.

New York City is reporting COVID-19 deaths of 800 a day and putting bodies in refrigerated trucks until they can determine where they can be sent.

A reporter managed to get into two hospitals, the Jack D Weiler Hospital and the Montefiore Medical Centre’s Moses division in the Bronx, to witness and document the chaos, panic, fear and bravery that takes place minute after minute.

Dr. Michael Jones who runs the physician resident program at both hospitals sent his young doctors an email last month asking them to go out of their way to comfort the COVID-19 patients.

Take a few moments if you can to talk about patients’ families, their lives, their dreams. Ask if there is a loved one you can call. And lastly, two very different things; hold your patient’s hand for a minute as they near death or pass, and ask your entire team to stop for five or ten seconds, bow your heads, state the patient’s name and ask for silence.

This helps us retain our humanity in times of such crisis and gives our patients’ family some solace that they were treated with dignity.

Return to the Front page

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

3 comments to To ‘retain our humanity in times of such crisis and give our patients’ family some solace that they were treated with dignity’.

  • David

    The Star and the New York Times. Sounds like a very balanced view of the world.

    You state that Trump dropped the ball, I’m thinking you mean his reaction timing to the Coronavirus outbreak in the US.
    Jan 31st Trump announced public health emergency with travel restrictions from China beginning Feb 2nd, at this time there were 7 Covid-19 cases in California contributed to travel from Wuhan.
    Feb 2nd Trump restricted air travel to/from China and at this time there were 11 Covid-19 cases in California. I do know Trump is not to everyones liking but if thats dropping the ball I would be interested to hear how you would rate Trudeaus performance in this crisis.
    I didn’t vote for Trudeau and was sad to see Harper go, but I don’t keep going on and on and on about it, the difference is I don’t want Trudeau to fail, but I accept the fact that the more decision’s you make or the more you do, the greater the risk that mistakes will be made.
    ( Wikipedia has a timeline for Covid-19 it makes for interesting reading)

  • Rob Allan

    A delight to read a positive story in these trying times.

  • Phillip Wooster

    Thank-you Pepper for this story and we should all be thankful that doctors such as Michael Jones are practicing medicine and humanity.