title: Building esprit de corps: learning to better navigate between "my" patient and "our" patient.
abstract: Excellence in the care of hospital patients, particularly those in an intensive care unit, reflects esprit de corps among the care team. Esprit de corps depends on a delicate balance; each clinician must preserve a sense of personal responsibility for "my" patient and yet participate in the collaborative work essential to the care of "our" patient. A harmful imbalance occurs when a physician demands total control of the decision-making process, especially concerning end-of-life treatment options. Although emotional factors may push a physician to claim decision-making exclusivity, compounded by a legal framework that overemphasizes individual responsibility, esprit de corps can be preserved through timely communication among clinicians and a recognition that optimal care for "my" patient requires effective team practice.
authors.affiliation: Center for Ethics, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, USA. evan@eederenzo.com
authors.forename: Evan G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: DeRenzo
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003422:Critical Care / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics; D026690:Ethics, Clinical; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards; D012941:Social Responsibility; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000941:ethics