Feedback on MAR - 2005

I am touched by your efforts to make your resident so aware of their deeper emotional reactions to the complex situations they are in and the wonderful people they come in contact with.  More so to find beauty in the midst of destruction, misery and suffering. The practice of medicine surgical and non surgical is a dangerous ground for doctors as it is a field that can make one feel so powerful, dominant, critical and insensitive to self and others. I feel embarrassed that you the surgeon has done a "sensitivity" program while I have not done my bit to contribute make our work more humane and meaningful to others but more so to ourselves. You are an inspiration. Thank you.  You deserve the accolades and recognition.
 

Connie Salazar-Aleta  

Feb 16. 2005

Hi! I rarely open my email. Just got to read your anecdotal reports. Kudos! It’s something even we in the field of Psychiatry don't even do. I might just do that with the psych residents. Thanks for the heart & the inspiration. 

Ping Conanan

April 25, 2005 

Thank you Sir for allowing us to hear the anecdotal reports of your residents. It gives us also opportunities to "re-live our surgical residency days", to say the least. May we have the kind of humane and compassionate doctors and surgeons that you are trying to  mold, I hopefully wish, fill up our world.

Randy

March 25, 2005

I read the interesting and touching Anecdote of Dr. Rommel de Leon. I admire his

patience and understanding and the incident reminded me of my days as a young PGH resident assigned to the ER. I met the same “MAKULIT” individuals, and yes, parents,too, I just can’t recall if I then demonstrated the same degree of patience as Rommel. Tell him I salute him and I have to admire you for stimulating your residents to share their experiences, pleasant or otherwise, or on tragic occasions like the Tsunami Story of one of your residents, sorry I can’t recall his name.
Tony

Feb 23, 2005

I could not help but feel for the emotional burden that Dr Hazel went through, to say the least. Because she was only a first year resident then, she had to

follow what was the "order". I will not make any criticisms of the hospital and departmental policy but I believe we should always respect and uphold one's

basic right to refuse a procedure, most of all in death. If we allow patients to refuse blood transfusions because of their religious beliefs even if this may mean the demise of our patients, then we must respect one's religious belief when it comes to, the least of all, an autopsy. If this was already a Stage IV Gastric CA, would the autopsy have contributed much to how we would manage a similar case in the future? Or was the procedure an "academic exercise"? The pain of losing a loved one was too heavy a burden to carry for the husband. I also

understand why he did what he did. 

The anecdotes on the ileal perforation and Dr. Turingan”s advanced breast ca, again focus on personalized and complete patient care and religious follow up care. This is what we have been trying to teach our residents, and I hope more and more people will read these articles. Why not compile all of these anecdotes and make a book. It will serve a lot for young surgeons. The message of Dr. B. Devesa on family affairs is very timely. DON’T FORGET YOUR FAMILY, even how busy you are. Marc is becoming guilty of this, he sees us only once in three weeks, claiming he’s always tied up with work. I believe no matter how engaged one is in work, one will always find the time for certain obligations, like the family!!. Commend your residents for their excellent and timely contributions.

TONY

March 1, 2005

Convey to Dr. Guerra that I was impressed and liked very much his anecdote “Beyond Hospital Walls. It is very true that good patient care transcends hospital walls!! His article coincides perfectly with what I have always been teaching my students and residents on the ethical values of personalized patient care. Unfortunately, today, as I saw it in our own PGH, patient care by some of our doctors has become too mechanical and the human touch is LOST. I hope more residents will read Dr. Guerra’s article and again, Kudos to you for stimulating your residents to come up with much needed and thought provoking anecdotes like Dr. Guerra’s.

Tony

March 1, 2005

 I appreciate very much the anecdote submitted by Dra. R. Chan. It distinctly shows her unprejudiced attention to details and true compassion and concern for a patient whether a law breaker or any ordinary patient. I am extremely hopeful that there will be more doctors like her. May her tribe increase.  My hat's off to her. KUDOS to Dra. R. Chan! 

Tony

May 23, 2005

Thank you for writing to us.  Your short e-mail surely tells us that there are certainly a lot of heroes in the medical profession working quietly to promote and retain the special values of caring and compassion. I visited the link that you shared with us, and based on the project write-up, I am confident, you must have touched a lot of physicians and their patients in some inspiring way through the insights gained from the reports.

Susan EBL Enriquez

National Coordinator - Joy of Caring Advocacy

Biomedis, Inc.

2005