Personal integrity means that combination of personality traits and virtues most
conducive to good end-of-life care. Humility is a key virtue.
That means knowing what
one does not know, a willingness to shift modes of treatment when an earlier course
proves inefficacious, and a sharing of uncertainty with colleagues. Friendship with
patients, though not always possible, is an advantage.
Dying can be lonely, and often
only the physician is in a position to be a steadfast companion. Availability is hardly
less important, but requires openness to inconvenience and schedule disruption. A
willingness to make house calls to avoid unnecessary visits to hospitals or physician
ofces is an important mark of availability. Most fundamentally, patients need to
know they will not be abandoned. Come what may, the physician must be there
until the very end.
(500 words or less)