Patient death circumstances
| Theme | Illustrative quote |
|---|---|
| Unexpected death with sudden deterioration of patient’s condition | I remember feeling sad … like I was going to cry after both [patient deaths], even though [I did not have] some deep relationship or connection to each of the patients, it was just such a wild experience to see a person who has died. (P11) Because it was unexpected, I definitely felt guilty because I [wondered whether] there was something I could have done to prevent [the death]. (P12) |
| Pronouncing death | I’m reading [in the McMaster Internal Medicine handbook] about how to pronounce a patient’s death as I’m going to do it. … This is the potentially most significant thing in the life of his family. … Who am I to come and pronounce somebody dead? Am I even medically competent enough? (P11) |
| Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and family interactions | I think it was mostly shock and fear for this patient. And a sense of derealization — like, this can’t be how the story is playing out. When his wife came, I felt so much pain for her. I thankfully had a call room, right on the floor, that was about 12 steps away, and the moment I got in there, I burst into tears. (P14) |