Caring for the Caregivers

Upon learning about the shootings of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, her staff and bystanders last Saturday, I was shocked and horrified. My initial feelings gave way to hope as news of Ms. Giffords' survival was reported over the next several days; however, my emotions were also buoyed by the comments of Ms. Giffords' physicians.

Watching a press conference at University Medical Center in Tucson, in which the surgeons who operated on Gabrielle Giffords spoke about her condition and the condition of the other victims, I was struck by the compassion Drs. Peter Rhee and Michael Lemole expressed. Dr. Rhee noted that "we're concentrating on not just keeping them alive or putting their body parts back together, but working on the patients as a whole, as a human being and making sure that they can actually go back to their life the way they were." Dr. Rhee's comments mirrored those expressed by Ken Schwartz 15 years ago. As he faced the uncertainty of his cancer diagnosis, Ken reflected that each of us wants the best possible care for our whole being, not just our body, when facing serious medical issues.

Though Dr. Rhee recognized that Congresswoman Giffords and the other victims may require social services to cope with the psychological trauma associated with the shootings, he noted that the shootings have had an impact on the caregivers as well. His comments remind us that while we must treat patients compassionately, we must also make a concerted effort to help those caregivers who experience considerable stress in managing such difficult clinical cases.

Our thoughts go out to the victims, their families and the members of the medical team at University Medical Center in Tucson.