Is there a shaman in the house?
This nonfictional narrative recounts a story of shared decision making between a veteran neurosurgeon and the family of a comatose patient who had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. After reviewing the option of surgery within the context of informed consent, the family remains frozen in indecision. Leaving behind him the world of the rational, the neurosurgeon makes a statement that reconnects the family to their deepest values. The neurosurgeon is portrayed as a modern equivalent of a shaman. A call is made for consideration of the complex topic of spiritual engagement during patient care.
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA. peter.deschweinitz@utah.edu
Peter
P
de Schweinitz
D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D003128:Coma / Q000209:etiology; D003657:Decision Making; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D005791:Patient Care; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D019423:Shamanism; D029181:Spirituality; D020521:Stroke / Q000601:surgery