Constructing denial as a disease object: accounts by medical students meeting dying patients

摘要: As part of the general shift in contemporary healthcare from a focus on specific diseases to treating whole person, doctors are now expected be reflective and engage empathetically with patients. Yet, context end life potentially confounds this commitment. Here we draw written submissions UK medical students confronting dying patients offer insight into range entangled issues. Although exercise is designed highlight value listening encourage practice, experience ultimately not being able treat or cure frequently challenges students' understanding central purpose clinical care their future role as doctors. Because they invariably notion 'good death', whenever have make sense patient behaviour deemed irrational obstructive employ concept 'denial' strategic category. In denial referred disease-like object that feel can, should, diagnose treat. Such conceptual operations consequently illustrate tension arising trying acknowledge whole-patient approach while simultaneously reproducing emphasis placed identifying those discrete elements determine legitimate intervention.