An Anesthesiologist Can Make A Difference
I was interviewing medical students this past week. All were in search of a good residency in anesthesiology. All were bright and well spoken. All had good grades. We talked about the training that they would receive, how complete our program was, the amount of time and energy that the faculty spend for their education, and how the focus of our department was and is to train the best of the best - in perioperative care, critical care, pain management and operating room management.
What I did not say, but what is perhaps more important than all of the other things that we teach, is how a good anesthesiologist can make an incredible difference for patients and families whose loved ones are sick or injured. A compassionate anesthesiologist can mean the difference between a terrorized patient and one that is at ease; Can make the difference between a family that is paralyzed and one that is at peace; Can ease the physical and the emotional pain of parents and spouses. The best make all the difference.
How do the best accomplish this? How do some make it look so easy and others fail? There are a thousand reasons. The best call their patients by name and know some of the details of the story before they come to the bedside. They honor the privacy of the patient and they treat the patient with respect. They sit down when they talk to the patient and focus on this one thing, because it is the most important thing in the world. They don't take themselves too seriously, and, if appropriate, inject a little humor into the interaction. They provide the patient with an opportunity to ask questions and take all the time that is necessary for all to understand. A patient's understanding of the procedure at hand may be incomplete when we see them in the holding area despite multiple previous explanations. They touch the patient - hold their hand, touch their arm, look them in the eye. Will there be some that will be offended? Perhaps, but in thirty years of holding the hands of patients, no-one has done anything but thank me from their heart. The best reassure the patient and their family about the outcome and, if possible, suggest what the best outcome will be like. " You are going to wake up in the recovery area and be warm and pain free. "
An anesthesiologist can make a difference. That difference can color everything about a patient's experience in a traumatic setting. The best of the best seem to do this instinctively, but in reality, this is a behavior that is learned. The best of the best teach this as an integral part of a comprehensive program.
We try to do this every day.
Rae Brown, M.D.
What I did not say, but what is perhaps more important than all of the other things that we teach, is how a good anesthesiologist can make an incredible difference for patients and families whose loved ones are sick or injured. A compassionate anesthesiologist can mean the difference between a terrorized patient and one that is at ease; Can make the difference between a family that is paralyzed and one that is at peace; Can ease the physical and the emotional pain of parents and spouses. The best make all the difference.
How do the best accomplish this? How do some make it look so easy and others fail? There are a thousand reasons. The best call their patients by name and know some of the details of the story before they come to the bedside. They honor the privacy of the patient and they treat the patient with respect. They sit down when they talk to the patient and focus on this one thing, because it is the most important thing in the world. They don't take themselves too seriously, and, if appropriate, inject a little humor into the interaction. They provide the patient with an opportunity to ask questions and take all the time that is necessary for all to understand. A patient's understanding of the procedure at hand may be incomplete when we see them in the holding area despite multiple previous explanations. They touch the patient - hold their hand, touch their arm, look them in the eye. Will there be some that will be offended? Perhaps, but in thirty years of holding the hands of patients, no-one has done anything but thank me from their heart. The best reassure the patient and their family about the outcome and, if possible, suggest what the best outcome will be like. " You are going to wake up in the recovery area and be warm and pain free. "
An anesthesiologist can make a difference. That difference can color everything about a patient's experience in a traumatic setting. The best of the best seem to do this instinctively, but in reality, this is a behavior that is learned. The best of the best teach this as an integral part of a comprehensive program.
We try to do this every day.
Rae Brown, M.D.
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