#1
I remember his brother-in-law snuck into the hospital to bring him a beer. We caught him and he just asked to see him through the window, so we let him. It was rough times for everyone.
I could tell he was getting frustrated with not improving and having the mask on all day and night. I decided to have a talk with him. I told him that this is a marathon, not a sprint. I told him that he needs to look way down the road and see the big picture. Told him to hang in there and he’ll get better.
He was at a point where he needed to turn the corner and get better, otherwise he would be intubated and eventually d**d. Many had gone the latter route before him.
I don’t know that my pep talk was the difference maker, but I’ll be d****d if dude didn’t get better. He came off of BiPAP and eventually left the ICU. He got to hug his wife (which he said lead to significant improvements in his recovery).
We needed that victory for our ICU team. He was such a good dude, I just couldn’t stand to watch him d*e. When he left the unit I felt like we had won the Stanley cup.
#2
She started crying and hugged me, repeatedly thanking me. It caught me off guard because I didn't think much of it, but looking back she probably hadn't had anyone ask her how she was doing in a very long time.
#3
Health outcomes improve noticeably when a patient and a doctor build a relationship based on trust, empathy, and active listening. Decades of clinical studies prove that when doctors truly listen to their patients, people recover faster, follow their treatment plans more closely, and leave the clinic feeling heard.
In a survey by Harris Interactive, respondents who visited their doctors an average of 3.5 times in 12 months cited personalized care, time spent with their doctors, and empathy as the main drivers of overall satisfaction.
#4
Anyway he asked me one day if I’d like to have lunch with him as I usually was in the area around lunch time. Of course I said yes because I could tell he was just lonely. We had lunch once a week every week for a few years, splitting the meals on wheels he had delivered (they were awful) and I would complete the paperwork while we ate.
He invited me one week to go to the local diner for a proper “date” and I was apprehensive due to needing to maintain a proper nurse/patient relationship but I obliged thinking “hell one time won’t hurt.” When I came to pick him up he was in a full suit, it was the most precious thing ever. We had a nice lunch, he was a proper gentleman of course, and the following week we went back to our regular meals on wheels lunch.
He will always be one of my most favorite patients, a kind man through and through. He passed away after a car crash taking his muscle car for a joy ride. I think of him often and still have the fake flowers he bought me for our date. I hope those lunches brought him the same joy it brought me.
#5
He called me from the psych floor and we had the following conversation:
Patient:“Hey Dr. F”
Me: “Hi Mr. K, how are you?”
Patient: “doing all right, still pretty hoarse from the intubation”
Me: “Sorry to hear that. Things ok on the psych floor?”
Patient: “Yea. A lot of people think I’m Batman. Like the Christian Bale Batman. Not the Adam West one. It’s the whole voice thing... I know I’m not REALLY Batman. At least I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure someone would tell me if I was... Unless no one knows I’m Batman”
Me: “It would be really cool to be Batman, but I can assure you that I don’t think you are either”
Patient: “oh that’s good news. That gig would be a lot of work. Maybe Batman is bipolar too and there aren’t any bad guys”
Me: “that... that’s actually a really thought provoking possibility”
Patient: “or... I am Batman”
Me: “...”
Patient: “just kidding. I just wanted to say that with the whole Christian Bale voice thing going on.”
I switched jobs and I’m not his primary anymore but I really miss the privilege of being his PCP.
#6
She was in the hospital, which was where she had decided she wanted to d*e, and she had no family but she did have a visitor the day prior. On rounds the morning after the visitor, my resident (I was a student at the time) asked her who the visitor was.
The little ok dying lady looked this resident up and down … although he was none of these things, he did give off strong vibes of “innocent sheltered shy foreign exchange trainee”.
And then she proceeded to give him a lecture about the birds and the bees and how sometimes even when you aren’t in a committed relationship you might still have a gentleman caller from time to time and how this person who visited yesterday was a dear friend from the past of the bedtime varietal.
The more embarrassed he appeared to get, the more detail she would share, and by the end of the discussion she was laughing as hard as she could due to the absurdity of the entire situation.
Anyway she had a solid laugh at his expense (he took it on the chin), we all joined in, and then she died that night.
On the other side of the stethoscope, doctors need this human connection just as much as their patients do.
In a study of nearly 14,000 US physicians, about 80% ranked their ongoing relationships with patients as the most satisfying part of practicing medicine. Knowing a patient’s story, understanding their fears, and walking alongside them through a recovery journey provides the daily fulfillment that no paycheck or hospital metric can replace.
#7
The patient was not d***g. He just reallyyyy hated the hospital. I 'let it be known' to many many colleagues, and now Reddit. My work here is done.
#8
(This was 10+ years ago, but she was in her mid fifties, so she was about my mom’s age. I just thought about the things my mom liked, and knew my mom would have hated wearing those sweatsuits if she wasn’t under the weather or cleaning the house.).
#9
He had come in for abdominal pain and ended up needing a partial colectomy because of a tumor. POD2 he is doing squats in the hallway with his walker. He tells me he goes to the gym multiple days a week and still jumps rope. I am absolutely tickled that this 96-year-old man is winning at life.
I walk with him back to his room and get him settled for lunch and we start talking about Scotland. I had just visited a few years ago and was talking about Edinburgh's castle and the military uniforms with the kilts. He instantly giggles and belts out this dirty joke involving a kilted soldier and a woman checking what was under it. Cracked me up. .
Beyond the emotional benefits, concrete scientific proof shows that deep relational care saves lives — and millions of dollars. Research led by Dr. David Meltzer at the University of Chicago showed that when patients see the same doctor over time, health outcomes are remarkable. Strengthening these personalized doctor-patient bonds led to significantly fewer emergency hospital admissions, shorter hospital stays, and lower overall medical expenses for both hospital networks and Medicare.
Patients also reported marked improvements in mental health and emotional well-being because they felt known, valued, and continuously cared for by a physician they truly trusted.
“To have a relationship is to mean that the big incentive is to want them to do well because you care about them and to have the time to really understand what that means and deal with it, because sometimes figuring that out just takes time,” says Meltzer. “When price is the only lever you have, you’re either paying people to do something or paying them not to do something. And it goes only one way or the other, more or less. Whereas when you have a relationship, there’s just so many more nuances.”
#10
Something about that morning, about my complete uselessness as a part of the medical team, glaring knowledge deficit any any basic inpatient care, and general misery of the season hit me - the tears came. They were unstoppable, and I was new at that hospital and didn’t know where any of the bathrooms were. I had no place to hide except this poor guys’s room. Of course he noticed.
“Hey... You ok?” he said softly.
“Sorry, I just... I’m just under a lot of pressure“ I replied, barely getting the words out.
“Here take a seat”
“Thanks,” I sniffled, and sat at the foot of his bed.
“It’s a lot, isn’t it?” he said knowingly.
“Yeah, it is.” I replied, knowing my comments were selfish but being too needy in that moment to be stoic.
We talked for a little while. I don’t remember the rest of the conversation. It wasn’t profound. But this man with metastatic, very likely terminal cancer, who deserved so much more sympathy than I did, had enough heart to be nice to a medical student.
I’ll never forget him.
#11
#12
Whenever I feel burnt out and like what I do doesn’t matter I like to think of him and that moment and how I could make someone a little happier in a bad time in their life.
Did you know that doctors actually have favorite patients?
In a study published in the Patient Education and Counseling journal, 22 out of 25 interviewed physicians admitted to having favorites. For some doctors, these were specific types of patients they saw often. For others, they were a few unforgettable people treated over their careers.
Surprisingly, doctors said their favorites were not always the ones who followed every rule or shared their personality. Instead, these bonds grew over time — from one year to several decades. Many of these patients were very sick, meaning doctors saw them more often and spent more time helping them through tough moments.
“I think it would be surprising if doctors didn’t have favorites,” says Dr. Albert Wu, a professor at the Bloomberg School and senior author of the paper. “Doctors are human too, and as humans we like some people more than others — in both our personal and professional lives. We want our doctors to be humanistic, and patients benefit from positive regard. It is good to recognize it, to avoid playing favorites, which is different than having favorites.”
#13
#14
Had another lady schedule an urgent appointment for leg pain that only occurred when she sat on her foot for 8 hours straight while crafting. I told her to stop it.
#15
Physicians who admitted to having favorites were still very mindful of professional boundaries. They made sure not to socialize with patients outside of their practice or connect with them on social media channels such as Facebook.
On the flip side, when asked about more challenging patient interactions, physicians noted that those difficult dynamics usually stemmed from patients not understanding the limits of what doctors could actually do for them.
#16
#17
We took the history twice to ensure he wasn't trying to cover up some kind of crime, but nope just a man in his 80's that lost a fight with a beaver. This happened in somewhat northern Canada. Such is life...
#18
Another powerful element that keeps both doctors and patients going is a good sense of humor. Laughter plays a vital, evidence-based role in medicine, serving as a natural balm that softens the hospital experience and strengthens the bond between doctor and patient.
A survey found that 62% of patients prefer doctors who use light, appropriate humor during visits. A shared smile or lighthearted joke can instantly break the tension in a scary room, helping patients feel more relaxed and truly understood.
#19
#20
