Carrying Responsibility for Life and Death

"As a physician, I’ve experienced patients dying under my care. One might have been related to something I did or didn’t do. How do you deal with death when it might be related to your actions or inactions? Rupert says: ‘As a doctor, you are by definition putting yourself in the position where something you do or don’t do may contribute to someone’s death. You couldn’t be a doctor without taking that risk. By becoming a doctor, you’ve agreed to take that risk. The chances are at some stage during your career, with the hundreds or thousands of patients you see, something you do or don’t do is going to contribute to someone’s death. It’s part of your job. If you’re an astronaut, mountaineer, or even taxi driver, you agree to the same possibility. I have no doubt you always try to do your best, bring your highest knowledge and skill to bear on every patient. You always do your best. A week later in retrospect you may realise you could have done something different, but in that moment that knowledge wasn’t available to you. You can’t do more than that.’"

From event 05 - 12 October, 2025 Seven-Day Retreat at Garrison Institute, 5–12 October 2025

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