How physicians express condolences. Recently, I’ve been thinking about how physicians express condolences. This weekend, I attended calling hours to visit with the family of a recently deceased patient. As I drove back from the funeral home, I tried to recall when I started to attend my patients’ wakes, funerals, and Shiva observances, and why I began this practice. It wasn’t something that I was taught in medical school or residency. Perhaps things have changed by now, but back then, there was very little formal teaching on how physicians should interact with families after a patient’s death.

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