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Closing the Medical Gap of Care for Patients Who Have Had a Near-Death Experience.

Lilia Samoilo, Diane Corcoran

Narrative inquiry in bioethics 2020 DOI: 10.1353/nib.2020.0011 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Commentary Peer reviewed
Sample size 12
Population Patients who had a near-death experience while hospitalized
Topics Near-death experience
Key points Argues that a gap in medical and spiritual care, along with perceived professional bias, contributes to long-term consequences like isolation and rejection for patients who have near-death experiences.

Abstract

This commentary discusses the twelve stories in which patients tell what happened when they were hospitalized and they had a near-death experience. The stories display a consistent theme of the gap in medical and spiritual care they received, after the patient's near-death experience. This commentary explores the implications of this gap in care for these patients and the perceived medical professionals' bias that occurs after these experiences, which can contribute to long-term consequences such as isolation and rejection. Education in medical schools and continuing education can provide medical professionals with insights needed to support individuals with near-death experiences.