It send chills up my spine, to think of what this doctor did to her patient after being involved every step of the way , for the seven years she had known the patient. The letter addressed to this particular doctor outlined how hurtful it was to the entire family, that the doctor needed a wake up call, to bring this to her attention and also her behavour towards her patient.
I hope with this in mind that the doctor sees this as an eye opener, and have the decency to reply to the letter, and apologize to the family about her behavior, and why it took so long to respond to the patient calls and test results.
The abandonment of patients by doctors seems to be a distinctive pattern, which must be addressed by hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices. A patient care is foremost, and must be treated in the way that it would bring peace of mind to all sides of the spectrum.
When doctors abandoned patients it is due to failure, which shows that they cannot care for them, so they leave them hanging in the balance, while their patients search for answers as to why the doctor walked away from treating their illness.
Doctors need to be educated when it comes to End Of Life Care, if not we would see more doctors walking away from patients when they have failed tremendously as the letter that was written to this particular doctor.
Doctors need to tell patient the truth, and let them know that they had done all they can,but still need to be connected to their patients if and when the go into a hospice for care at the end of life doing little things for the patient and responding to their needs will and should improve relationships.
Once a relationship is broken by a doctor word spreads, and the doctor would feel isolated, and patient along with relatives would not want to be associated with that doctor at any given time. A good doctor relationship with a patient is a must, and when the patient respect your advice that respect will be returned.
Patient also need to let their doctor know when they fail it is not their fault it is due to the disease, and that they appreciate all that they have done in the past, but the patient needs assurance that the doctor would not abandon them when they are needed.
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