“Get to Know Me” Board

For best outcomes, clinicians in the ICU need to attend not only to the immediate clinical needs of the critically ill patient, but also to higher human needs including psychologic, social, and spiritual. Understanding your patient as another human being with her or his fears, desires, preferences, and accomplishments is obviously important in order to provide compassionate care and achieve goal concordant outcomes. In an ever-evolving technological ICU environment, this may not be an easy task. All too often, we focus on monitors, devices, electronic records, and ignore the human being. Patients labeled with a disability are particularly vulnerable. Recently, I had the privilege to participate in the care of a Mayo Clinic patient with a history of cerebral palsy. In the midst of a life-threatening emergency, by paying attention to the human touch, the ICU team learned the story of a truly remarkable person. The essay below summarizes the patient’s and physician’s perspectives.