A Small Good Thing Analysis

Medics are educated on how to incline their patients, not their surrogates which is why surrogates are conventionally dismissed or neglected by doctors, in the narrative “A Small Good Thing” by Raymond Carver, this idea is further supported. When we look at the real-world research in done in “What Doctor Know About How Bad It Is and Won’t Say It” by Paula Span and “When Doctors Need to Lie” by Sandeep Jauhar. When looking at the stories “A Small Good Thing”, “What Doctor Know About How Bad It Is and Won’t Say It” and “When Doctors Need to Lie” by Sandeep Jauhar, we realized that the dismissive way in which the Weisses are treated by the hospital staff is caused by the doctors not wanting to be the bearer of substandard news and wanting the …show more content…
In “What Doctor Know About How Bad It Is and Won’t Say It” it states, ‘we’ve known for years … they fear that bad news will dash hopes; they don’t want to appear to be giving up. Often, their training hasn’t prepared them for sensitive conversations.’ Ernest Kohn was a vibrant 90-year-old economic professor at Queens College. He was in good health and active in his life, so it was expected that he would live past his current age, that was all forgotten when Ernest had a severe stroke that sent him to a neurological intensive care unit. The family of Ernest Kohn knew what possible for him based on his reason for the checking into the hospital and his age. the surrogates of the patient were aware of Ernest Kohn’s condition and seem to anticipate the doctor’s dilemma. The doctor’s do not want to worry the patients, but the surrogates are aware of the context of Kohn’s symptoms. Going in the hospital, Ernest’s family already have an accurate estimation of Kohn’s chances, but they need the confirmation of a licensed professional to verify what the condition it is. Through the analysis of “What Doctor Know About How Bad It Is and Won’t Say It”, we see the expectations the surrogates have for the doctors. They want and accurate an honest explanation of what to expect regarding their loved one’s health. In “When Doctors Need to Lie”, it states that such paternalism was once widely accepted in medicine. In the mid-19th century, the American Medical Association’s code of ethics stated that physicians had a “sacred duty” to “avoid all things which tend to discourage the patient and depress his spirits.” Similarly, a parent or father withholding

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