Caring for Dying Patients:

Visual Narratives From the Intensive Care Unit
by Ginny Bao, M.D. 
Annals of Internal Medicine, January 2019  Link.

G.B. writes, “I started this series of drawings from my desire to illustrate my experiences as a medical student in treating intensive care patients through art. Although I felt comfortable discussing all aspects of my patients' clinical care, I struggled to verbalize the unspoken ethical dilemmas permeating through every patient interaction. These thoughts lingered in my head for months until I decided to express them through color, line, and form. Creating these visual images helped me to reflect and better understand how our daily medical interventions truly impact patient care. For viewers, I hope these images facilitate more mindful ways to care for patients and their families as they face illness and death. Each drawing represents a composite of patients I have encountered."

Waiting

One of the most beautiful moments I have witnessed in the ICU was when the family and medical team chose to stop life-prolonging measures and instead chose to wait for death.

 Ginny Bao, MD, is an Internal Medicine Resident at California Pacific Medical Center. She recently completed her medical training at New York University School of Medicine, where she became interested in using visual art to capture alternative perspectives on the practice of medicine. You can view her other works at www.instagram.com/imaging.by.bao/ and contact her at ginny.bao@gmail.com

Note:  Dr. Bao's art reminds me on the work of Nova Scotia artist Robert Pope who died of Hodgkins Disease in 1992.  See C2S Blog.