The Secret

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The Secret "The Secret" describes how the medical professions have lost their sense of compassion and empathy due to being jaded and desensitized by the many awful incidents they have witnessed. The events unfolding in the story accurately depict negligence and breaching of patient confidentiality. A patient is turned into an element of laughter and gossip by professionals who are supposed to help him navigate the condition. This amounts to neglect and a breach of the patient's privacy.

From the description of the events at the health facility, human beings are not being treated with the dignity they deserve. A lot of events that are described in this case are horrifying. The trauma team is still struggling with the carnage of the night before. As can be seen, there is a stream of wounds and bodies. The number of providers available at the facility is insufficient, and the available ones appear to have been overworked. The narrator in the story confirms that the information was not verified or s/he was not sure whether what s/he was saying was correct or not. This can be confirmed from the statement, "I heard myself answering questions, searching my note-cards, I felt numbers emerging from my mouth, but I wasn't really there" (Huyler, 2004, p. 99). This shows some negligence because the providers were not diligently attending to their duties because they were overwhelmed by a lot of work.

The providers' attitude towards a patient who has been at the facility for some time shows that they lack professionalism and are clearly breaching patient confidentiality by handling patient information. Whenever a nurse discovers something that is not normal, it is expected that some communication protocols are followed in channeling the information to the relevant providers. When the nurses notice white worms coming from the patient's mounts, there is chaos everywhere. The rooms became like a marketplace, and one would not imagine whether the

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medics inside were professionals or quacks. The information is spreading everywhere, going into hands that are not necessary. From the statement, "Oh my God," one of the residents said.

"They're maggots. He's got maggots in his mouth." The room erupted. We were horrified, but also excited, exhaustion washed away" it is clear that the providers did not know how to behave, and they let everything fall out of hand (Huyler, 2004, p. 99). The information about the patient has now become a story for everyone to jeer about.

The most surprising thing is that the nurses have even gone to the extent of labeling the patient. Even though this is done behind the patient's back, one would not imagine that the providers who are supposed to be the custodians of the patient’s health are the ones who are at the forefront in labeling. Due to a lack of confidentiality about the patient's symptoms, everyone had labeled the patient. The patient is recovering, and this gives them a reason to celebrate.

However, what stands out for these providers is that maggots came out of the patient's mouth, as evidenced by the statement, "That's the maggot man. Remember him? He's right over there" (Huyler, 2004, p. 99).

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Reference Huyler, F. (2004). The blood of strangers: Stories from emergency medicine. Macmillan.