This book takes the reader into the coronavirus pandemic as seen beyond the walls of the hospital, out in the communities that I work with, and for, urban and rural.
Just as physicians must honour the privileged access they have to our bodies, they must honour the trust with which we share our stories. As a doctor who is also a writer, I’ve spent a great deal of time deliberating over what can and cannot be said without betraying the confidence of my patients.
The reflections that follow are all grounded in events within my clinical experience, but the patients in them have been so disguised as to be unrecognisable – any similarities that remain are coincidental. Protecting confidences is an essential part of what I do: ‘confidence’ means ‘with faith’ – we are all patients sooner or later; we all want faith that we’ll be heard, and that our privacy will be respected.