We had a very busy week of surgical cases and now that it is Friday, I am exhausted. It will be good to have a few days rest. That is if there are no emergencies. Most of the week, I found myself running between 3 different operating rooms managing and supervising 2 anesthetists, an anesthetist in training, and a surgical resident on the anesthesia rotation. On occasion I did my own cases as well. It was a great week with plenty of opportunities to teach and interact with trainees. Sometimes I did find myself so busy and so focused on "getting the cases done" that I forgot about the patients. Frequently this happens in the US where the "big machine" of healthcare gets in the way and we find ourselves simply moving the cases along without any connection to the patients. Well, at times this is true here in Gabon. Compounding this is the fact that I speak a different language and it is difficult to relate and show compassion through a translator. That said, we do need to be efficient and move through the day or we would never get done. There needs to be balance.
One such case helped gave me a quick reminder of why God has given me the opportunity to be a physician and how it all needs to be about the patient, wherever I serve. I was called in to help my resident do a spinal block for a hernia repair on a young adult male. I could tell when I entered the room that the patient was very anxious about this procedure. On top of that, when he found out it was going to be done under spinal he got really nervous and started to verbalize his fright. I helped the resident get prepared and then went around to the other side of the table to assist positioning the seated man for the spinal. He immediately grabbed my hand and arm very tightly and started to pray. I prayed with him. He calmed down but did not let go of his tight grip on my arm. After the resident completed the spinal, the man let go and thanked me.
A reminder that it is about the patient.
