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Intentional presence and the accompaniment of dying patients
Alexandra Guité-Verret1,2,3, Mélanie Vachon4,5,6, Dominique Girard5,6,7
1Psychology Department, Université du Québec À Montréal, Montréal, Canada. guite-verret.alexandra@courrier.uqam.ca.
Abstract:
In this paper, we offer a phenomenological and hermeneutical perspective on the presence of clinicians who care for the suffering and dying patients in the context of end-of-life care. Clinician presence is described as a way of (1) being present to the patient and to oneself, (2) being in the present moment, and (3) receiving and giving a presence (in the sense of a gift). We discuss how presence is a way of restoring human beings' relational and dialogical nature. To inform a different perspective on relational ethics, we also discuss how accompaniment refers to the clinician's awareness of the human condition and its existential limits.
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