Status Updates From Catastrophic Rupture: A Mem...

“[Communication] is at the very core of our human experience.”

“Now, the impact on me of the surgeon’s simple statement—the acknowledgment by one human being to another that there was some cause for sadness, that something bad had happened to our family—made me realize the importance of being a human first, and a doctor second.”

“If we want to communicate well, it is not enough to make sure patients and families understand the words we are using. We need to go a step further and make sure they understand the implications of those words.”

“If I could misread the situation despite familiarity with the concepts, how can physicians expect any different from someone hearing the words for the first time?”