The creepy silence was broken by a hideous sound. I’ll never delay certifying a body ever again
I know this doesn’t sound excellent but,as a junior doctor, sometimes it’s a relief to hear that a patient has died. On one occasion, and in the small hours of a chilly February morning at the stop of a long and painful night shift,relief is indeed what I felt. The sound of my bleep going off had started to make me feel physically sick. But this time it was to certify a dead person. The realisation that I couldn’t cause any physical harm/death to this patient and could finish my cold tea and rep round to seeing her after completing more pressing jobs was encouraging. The dead can wait. And she did. By the time I got to the old lady an hour or so later the ward nurses had dimmed the lights of the small room, changed the bed linen, and removed any drips,masks, and other medical equipment and respectfully closed her eyes. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com