Consulted late yesterday in hospital to see a person - vital signs were ok looked alarmingly ill- they graciously smiled at my “Cold hands, warm heart” joke during exam, and after I asked about various symptoms, I said “So are you feeling overall? ” while holding their hand.

/1

“...I’m scared.”
“I can understand that. We’ll do our best.”
We did tests, consults, meds, antibiotics.
I left worried.
They died.
From my viewpoint all the medical stuff we did yesterday evening was appropriate,
but I can’t stop worrying about whether they were comforted.
/2

(To be honest,our staff are quite awesome and fantastic and supremely humane so it’s not that the individuals aren’t caring, I just know in the rush and crush of medical urgency, sometimes there isn’t time, and I’m sad about the “all in masks and face shields” necessity too.)