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The hidden pain of doctors who couldn’t save a life
In a profession where success means lives saved, and with a culture of heroic excellence, a death can be devastating – yet this is rarely spoken about.
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Some units in hospitals have sessions intended to help young doctors process the emotional challenges after patient deaths and errors.
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Khoo See Meng
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I recently chaired a virtual hospital grand round – a regular session where healthcare professionals take turns to share their knowledge, experiences and expert opinions with colleagues. What transpired left me strangely apprehensive about ever wanting to do such a task again.
It was not that the talk was anything contentious. Quite the opposite. Someone spoke up, in a genuine and powerfully personal way about something doctors don’t often talk about: having a patient die, and how it affects us emotionally.
