In the movie Wit (Bosanquet et al, 2001), the trials and tribulations of Vivian Bearing, PHD are learned. Professor Bearing is an expert on the work of 17th Century British poet John Donne. As a professor she was unrelenting with her students. When Dr. Harvey Kelekian informed Dr. Bearing that she has stage 4 metastatic ovarian cancer, they both are very matter-of-fact with the diagnosis. When battling cancer, Dr. Vivian Bearing faces many challenges: (a) communication with medical staff, (b) patient advocacy, and (c) the stages of dying. Communication with Medical Staff The medical staff while communicating with the patient were very matter-of-fact. Often medical staff would enter and leave the patient’s room without acknowledging her. Many …show more content…
Some of the medical staff would talk amongst themselves and refer to the patient as if she was not in the room. Patient Advocacy The only advocate for Dr. Vivian Bearing was her nurse Susie. Initially nurse Susie did not seem to communicate well with the patient. She was very to the point, used only medical terms, and showed no empathy. After developing a rapport with the patient, she helped advocate the needs of the patient with other medical staff. One of the medical residents caring for Dr. Bearing, Dr. Jason Posner, left her on the exam table in stirrups while he ran the halls looking for a nurse to assist the exam. When nurse Susie entered the room, she asked the doctor “why he left the patient laying in stirrups” (Bosanquet et al, 2001). Another instance of advocacy was when the patient was sick and on neutropenic isolation, nurse Susie asked that the chemo be reduced, and that patient be put on patient controlled medicine pump for pain. Dr. Jason refused, put patient on Morphine drip and continue “full dose” of chemo instead. While examining Dr. …show more content…
Stage 1 is Denial, denying the disease may ease anxiety or fearful thoughts (Patricelli 2017). Dr. Bearing did not feel it was necessary to be admitted to hospital for her chemo, she wanted to continue teaching. She also believed that the aggressive experimental treatment would cure her of the cancer. Stage 2 is anger, patient may wonder why this is happening to them (Patricelli 2017). Dr. Bearing became very sarcastic about her illness and began to refuse further testing. Stage 3, bargaining, the patient may bargain for a cure or to be pain free (Patricelli 2017). Dr. Bearing began to have flash backs of when she was a professor and did not allow a student to turn in a late paper even though the absence was for the death of a family member. She also reflected on her childhood. Stage 4 is depression, in this stage death is impending and there is nothing left to bargain (Patricelli 2017). Dr. Bearing is scared, has feelings of doubt, regrets treatment of students. She realizes she is alone, she hasn’t had visitors. Dr. Bearing places her head under the pillow and cries, she states, “she has stage 4 cancer, there is no stage 5” (Bosanquet et al, 2001). Stage 5 is acceptance, this is usually a period of calm and peace (Patricelli 2017). Dr. Bearing realizes chemo is not working and accepts what is inevitable. There are many instances in the film where communication with the patient was lacking, there was advocacy for the patient but there were also
patients who would get out of hand in the sessions. I thought that was nurse
Diane was a patient of Dr. Timothy Quill, who was diagnosed with acute myelomonocytic leukemia. Diane overcame alcoholism and had vaginal cancer in her youth. She had been under his care for a period of 8 years, during which an intimate doctor-patient bond had been established. It was Dr. Quill’s observation that “she was an incredibly clear, at times brutally honest, thinker and communicator.” This observation became especially cogent after Diane heard of her diagnosis. Dr. Quill informed her of the diagnosis, and of the possible treatments. This series of treatments entailed multiple chemotherapy sessions, followed by a bone marrow transplant, accompanied by an array of ancillary treatments. At the end of this series of treatments, the survival rate was 25%, and it was further complicated in Diane’s case by the absence of a closely matched bone-marrow donor. Diane chose not to receive treatment, desiring to spend whatever time she had left outside of the hospital. Dr. Quill met with her several times to ensure that she didn’t change her mind, and he had Diane meet with a psychologist with whom she had met before. Then Diane complicated the case by informing Dr. Quill that she be able to control the time of her death, avoiding the loss of dignity and discomfort which would precede her death. Dr. Quinn informed her of the Hemlock Society, and shortly afterwards, Diane called Dr. Quinn with a request for barbiturates, complaining of insomnia. Dr. Quinn gave her the prescription and informed her how to use them to sleep, and the amount necessary to commit suicide. Diane called all of her friends to say goodbye, including Dr. Quinn, and took her life two days after they met.
When it comes to a bad diagnosis it is often difficult for doctors to tell their patients this devastating news. The doctor will likely hold back from telling the patient the whole truth about their health because they believe the patient will become depressed. However, Schwartz argues that telling the patient the whole truth about their illness will cause depression and anxiety, but rather telling the patient the whole truth will empower and motivate the patient to make the most of their days. Many doctors will often also prescribe or offer treatment that will likely not help their health, but the doctors do so to make patients feel as though their may be a solution to the problem as they are unaware to the limited number of days they may have left. In comparison, people who are aware there is no cure to their diagnosis and many choose to live their last days not in the hospital or pain free from medications without a treatment holding them back. They can choose to live their last days with their family and will have more time and awareness to handle a will. Schwartz argues the importance of telling patients the truth about their diagnosis and communicating the person’s likely amount of time left as it will affect how the patient chooses to live their limited
Dr. Jey Arthur, of Sutter Memorial Hospital, is an idol when it comes to physicians within a hospital’s Emergency Room. During his shift, the entire atmosphere of the Emergency Room changes. Nurses become more interactive with their patients and the patient’s rooms are no longer filled with misery and hopelessness. From the second the patient is assigned a room, Dr. Arthur is constantly visiting keeping the patient well informed and up to date on what the physicians and nurses are doing and their progress. From my time shadowing Dr. Aurther, not a single patient had lost a smile when he left the room. Beyond the care of the patient, Dr. Arthur has established absolute order with those working in the Emergency Room. Dr. Arthur has made himself
In the healthcare system many times patients are just patients and appointments are just appointments. The outlook on the patients and appointments all depends on the area of practice and the health professional themselves. Working in the emergency department, the nurses and doctors there typically do not see the same patient more than once and if they do the chance of them remembering them is slim to none just for the simple fact of the pace of the department. When it comes down to Physicians in the hospital setting, the care is not just quick and done. Great patient to healthcare professional relationships are formed and for some it may feel as if they are taking a “journey”(209) with their patients as they receive their medical care. This essay will be based off the book Medicine in Translation: Journeys with My Patients by Danielle Ofri, in which Ofri herself gives us the stories of the journeys she went on with several of her patients. Patients are more than just an appointment to some people, and when it comes to Ofri she tends to treat her patients as if they are her own family.
Furthermore, there should be enough trust between the nurses and physicians where they can easily put aside their egos and ask for a second opinion when they have any doubts concerning a patient's safety. This was clearly exemplified when the nursing staff attending to Lewis Blackman failed to contact the physician when various side effects arose; instead they tailored the signs to fit the expected side effects. Even after Blackman’s health was deteriorating, the nurses remained in their “tribes” and never once broke out of it to ask for help. The entire hospital was built on strong culture of remaining in their tribes instead of having goals oriented towards patients care and safety.
Though there are several patients featured, the story centers around Cody Curtis, a woman who was diagnosed with liver cancer. At 56, she is a beautiful woman who doesn’t appear to be sick. She seems healthy and happy. However she is in constant pain and is suffering greatly. She is given a diagnosis of only six months left to live and sets a date to choose to die. She has complete control over when she will die. She can make peace with those around her and complete her life before she dies. She says that death with dignity won’t be easy, but it would be easier than the alternatives. However, she outlives her diagnosis and her quality of life continues to improve. When things take a turn for the worst, she decides to end her
Smith’s narrative embodies Eric Cassel’s interpretation of suffering, in his essay, “The Nature of Suffering and The Goals of Medicine, “This woman’s suffering was not confined to her physical symptoms, [the second] is that she suffered not only from her disease but also from its treatment, [The third] is that one could not anticipate what she would describe as a source of suffering” (Cassel, 8). During our conversation I did my best to let her lead and restricted my input to the minimum. She did speak of her treatment when I asked about it but in the sense of her overall story, it was surprising to find that most of her suffering due to her illness occurred outside of hospital walls. The pain and constant nausea were hard to tolerate but it was the consequence of these symptoms that affected her the most, it was the context of the illness that caused her the suffering she believed important to speak during our limited time. When looking at Mrs. Smith further than her physical body and rather as a whole person, the extra time it took her to get ready that caused her to be late to work in the mornings and those two SQF audit points is what really hurt her spirit. Likewise, the lymphedema itself caused her pain and discomfort, but the real suffering came from it permanently slowing her pace leaving her feeling like she couldn’t efficiently do what she considered was her great contribution to her
Instead of caring for her, they learned from her. In one scene, around four medical students were all touching her stomach at once while trying to learn more about her disease. On the other hand, the nurses are there to care for the paitent. The only one in the film who was ever nice to Vivian was her nurse, Susan Monahan. In order for a hospital to function, there needs to be physicans, nurses, and an administration team. The nurses are there to make sure the patients remain emotionally and physically stable. Susan Monahan simply kept Vivian company. Whenever Vivian was nauseaus or felt overwhelemed with coming to terms with the illness, Susan would make sure to comfort her. She took the time to get to know her personally, and was the first to know that Vivian did not wish to be resisitated when her heart stopped beating. This was a very difficult decision that Vivian had to make, yet it was what she
I visited each patients room and around 4PM I entered Mr.Govanni’s room and I noticed that he was doing something with his mobile and I greeted him but he replied without looking at me by shaking his head and said, oh!..yes, and he continued what he was doing. Hi...
In the provision of a high quality care, many factors influence the way it is provided; however, IC is crucial. A healthy work environment would result from open communication among the staff, it would increase the employees and patients’ level of satisfaction and sense of well-being. Good communication is the cornerstone for the IC, it is a complex process which requires to develop some skills to learn how to transmit some information. One of the most common factors leading to medical errors, are due to miscommunication, sometimes because the message is not clearly sent, and others because it is not clearly received or it is misunderstood (Danna, 2015). In terms of communication non-verbal communication must be taken into consideration as well; body language, facial expressions, use of space, and touch, entail conscious or unconscious movements and gestures, also impacts the communication among the staff and
In Nursing, there will always be instances where the patient's nurse needs to advocate for their patient. There are numerous reasons why a nurse would advocate for their patient ranging from getting the doctor to change the patient’s orders, helping the patient’s treatment team understand what it is the patient is requiring for the day, to expressing the patient’s last wishes before death. In every situation, the nurse should do what is in the patient’s best interest. Tomajan (2012), “Advocacy skills are the ability to successfully support a cause or interest on one’s own behalf or that of another. Advocacy requires a set of skills that include problem solving, communication, influence, and collaboration”(p. 2). With those skills, the nursing staff will be able to work together to advocate for their patients. Along with those skills, nurses need to keep in mind the three core attributes that are: safeguarding patients’ autonomy; acting on behalf of patients; and championing social justice in the provision of health care. (Bu & Jezewski, 2006)
Despite the frequency of verbal interactions, miscommunication of patient information occurs that can lead to patient safety issues. . . . ‘Effective communication occurs when the expertise, skills, and unique perspectives of both nurses and physicians are integrated, resulting in an improvement in the quality of patient care’ (Lindeke & Sieckert, 200...
Healthcare professionals in the medical office should be friendly and open. Patients entering the medical office should be greeted immediately with a smile and having a gentle touch also let the patient know you care. “Healthcare professionals in a medical office are held to a higher standard than most professions because they are dealing with the dignity of patients and the ability to be healed” (Wolff). Educating the staff to be professional in the medical office represents the office as being excellent in patient care. Patient-centered care success is required by the whole office which is treatment and patient experience, from the time they enter the office until they leave.
Wit is a potent and emotional play that chronicles the last few months of Vivian’s life. With Vivian’s cancer as the main theme, Wit effectively shows the gradual change of Vivian’s attitude towards cancer and the inhuman treatments from doctors. Wit narrates a story of Vivian Bearing, an accomplished English literature professor who is diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer. However, in order to complete a research, her doctor, Harvey Kalekian gives Vivian eight months of experimental chemotherapy without clearly explaining the treatments and serious side effects. In addition, Kelekian’s fellow, Jason, as a former student of Dr. Bearing, shows no respect to Vivian. Jason does not consider Vivian as a patient or as his former professor, but a research object of cancer treatment. The play Wit introduces binaries between patients and doctors, students and professors, life and death. Among these different polarities, the comparison between life and death shows the greatest tension and implies the real meaning of death to readers. Death is kind of a rebirth of life. Edson efficiently describes the tension between death and life by making use of antithesis mostly.