Is my patient still alive?

Abstract

The modern-day health-care firmament is fighting one of its biggest battles of mistrust, the seeds of which have been sown over the years and the roots seem to run deep. There is a substantial misunderstanding about the complexities of intensive care treatments, especially the life support interventions. A critically ill patient on ventilator is often perceived by the families to be dead. Such misconceptions have a huge negative impact on the already friable doctor-patient relationship. The paper presents an overview of the problem and deliberates on the possible theories of such misunderstandings and chariness. An attempt is made to suggest the steps that could be taken to address this complicated issue.