Making Sense, Space, and Meaning in the ICU | Adjoa Boateng, MD

Adjoa Boateng, MD has always felt drawn to helping those at the margins of society. An intensivist and physician-writer at Stanford, Dr. Boateng has found language to be a crucial part of not only her clinical work, but of her art as well. In a medical specialty that can often be mired in technical jargon and dehumanizing shorthand, she champions an even greater importance on the choice of words physicians use as a critical aspect of care.In this episode, you will hear about: Dr. Boateng’s career in helping individuals from marginalized populations - 1:51How she maintains a connection to the spiritual dimensions of medicine despite working in what can often be the most impersonal of medical settings, the ICU - 4:45Her reflection on a particularly transcendent moment with a patient approaching death - 7:21Making space for the sacred, even in the antiseptic rooms of a hospital - 9:57How she discovered her passion for narrative medicine and writing poetry - 15:40The importance of humanizing language, especially when talking to patients - 17:37The concept of “miracles” in medicine - 22:26The difficulties Dr. Boateng experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic as a new attending and new mother - 26:17The intense scrutiny she has experienced as a black woman working in medicine - 30:39A poem Dr. Boateng has been writing for her son about his birth - 35:23Connect with Dr. Boateng on Twitter @BoatengMD.Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected] The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022