LAUSR

Should doctors attend their patients’ funerals? Clearly, doctors clearly can’t go to the funeral of every patient they’ve treated. After all, death is common, working hours are short, and the opportunity cost is large. But should we consider attending at least some patients’ funerals? For years I thought that the answer was a definite “no.” The funeral belongs to the family—not the professionals, who need to keep a distance between themselves and their patients, to be unclouded by emotion and remain effective. But funerals are usually public, if intensely personal. And what if you’re invited? Perhaps doctors shouldn’t attend funerals because it could seem …