Kqeds Perspectives

After all the tests, pills, and procedures, the best medicine is still something that can’t be prescribed. Jane Thomas-Tran has this Perspective. I’m a medical student, just a few months from being a doctor, and 100% of my clinical training has occurred in the COVID era. To me, hospital rooms filled with get-well-soon cards and eager visitors are a relic of the past. A beloved grandfather comes to mind. On the day of admission, he couldn’t open his eyes, just moaned a little. For three days, he didn’t speak. On the fourth day, he awoke to an empty room and asked, “Where am I?” On the sixth day, his soft voice told us: “I’ve lived a long life. A good life.”  On the seventh day, his wife and daughter brought his dentures and hearing aid. They couldn’t come inside the building because of pandemic rules. I met them outside. “That’s his room, his window, right up there!” I pointed. “Wait here." Back in the hospital room, yelling so he could hear, “Your wife and daughter are outside your window!” He seemed confuse