The nurse, while taking blood for the U90 old woman lying tiredly on the hospital bed, told the story of the young nurse who had been scolded harshly by the patient's family the day before. The story is, a young man took the old man to the hospital in a state of severe respiratory failure, requiring a ventilator and waiting for blood tests. Between the line of life and death, each minute of waiting for relatives is as long as a century. After two hours, seeing the old man still lying alone in the corner of the emergency room, the young man anxiously asked repeatedly about the results. But the urgent response was a silent silence, and the third time, he shouted that she had a mouth attack.
That rude statement made the whole room silent. People secretly blamed the hot-tempered young man, but the source of the heat was the nurse's attitude, a silence that made the person opposite feel like they were talking to a closed iron door. In the hospital, fatigue is sometimes swapped for coldness. That can be sympathized with when a doctor just left the operating room after 6 hours of eye strain under the lights, his hands exhausted as if he had just finished a mental marathon. But right behind that door, were people who had stood rooted to the spot all morning, their eyes glued to the small glass pane on the hospital door, holding their shirt tightly because of the biggest fear in life, which is fear of losing loved ones.
The truth is that both sides are exhausted. One is tired of terrible professional pressure, the other is tired of extreme anxiety. When people reach the limit of endurance, the personal ego easily rises and they forget to maintain the culture of behavior. However, hospital culture is not in the shiny regulations hanging on the wall, but in the empathy between those in need.
That may only be when the doctor, even busy, still stays for 30 seconds to briefly explain that the family should rest assured because we are trying our best. Or it is when the patient's family knows how to suppress their anger, understanding that scolding does not make doctors better but only makes their hands more pressured. An explanation, a little patience or a sympathetic look is more valuable than any expensive pain reliever.
