A Message for Doctors, on Christmas in the Hospital

When I was 14 years old, I spent Christmas as a patient in the hospital. While that circumstance might seem sad, it wasn’t my holiday to celebrate. Rather, it was scary, because my usual surgeon was away on vacation, and my care was in the hands of strangers.

Years later, after medical school, I spent more than a dozen Christmases working. Maybe more. Because I am Jewish, it seemed appropriate for me to work on that date. The main drawback, as I matured in my physician-ship, was that my sons were home from school; it was a day I might spend with them. But as holidays go, it was one when I didn’t mind working. I was glad to do it.

So here’s the thing for doctors on call on holidays like today or Thanksgiving, or Easter or Eid, or the Jewish New Year – here’s what I’d say to the young doctors, residents and fellows, if I were still making rounds, covering more patients than usual, and eager to get home:

Please don’t race through rounds. Be a little more generous than usual with your time, thoughts and words. Yes, your family wants you to get home today. But the people for whom you’ve accepted responsibility, to take care of them today, need you too.

Patients who are in the hospital over the holidays aren’t there by choice. They may need extra examination and a bit of hand-holding, besides greater diligence at a time of year when the on-call schedule “turns” more frequently. It’s when some doctors may be loathe to call a cardiology consult for an abnormal cardiogram, or an infectious disease specialist to evaluate fevers…Patients need the doctor who’s there, who may be less supported than usual, with fewer nurses or physician assistants than usual, to notice if they need a change in their meds, or if they’re short of breath, or in pain.

My thoughts are with people who are sick in the hospital today, the patients and their families, and the nurses, doctors and support staff. And everyone else –

Cheers, salud! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! And thank you to the doctors and nurses for being there when patients need you.

I wish all my readers a good holiday and healthy 2014,

ES

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