Isolation and Loneliness

Dhruv Khullar writes about the loneliness and solidarity of treating the coronavirus in New York for the New Yorker magazine. Looking at patient’s experiences of the ICU and feelings of isolation, Khullar talks about how doctors are managing the pandemic.
    

It sometimes feels as though we’re fighting dual epidemics: the coronavirus and loneliness. My patients often grow tearful when I tell them they’re ready to go home. They are glad to have survived the virus, but also relieved that their solitary sentences are coming to an end. On more than one occasion, a patient has thanked me for releasing them from “corona-jail.” Some may not have seen a fully unmasked face for weeks. No lips, no teeth, no noses or cheeks. They want to see a friend smile.

Witnessing this isolation takes a toll on doctors and nurses, too. In the I.C.U., clinicians are used to caring for patients who are intubated, sedated, or simply too ill to speak. That challenge, though, is usually offset by the richness of their interactions with family. Now we see only oxygen tubes and heart monitors; we hear only labored breaths and bedside alarms. There are no families whispering well wishes or holding patients’ hands. Watching someone suffer alone is its own form of punishment.