"A Lesson of Compassion That I’ll Never Forget"
Humans of Medicine #52
Dr. Ainatul Soraya is a junior doctor currently working at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Scotland. Her medical education began at MRSM Kubang Pasu in Kedah, where she completed her IGCSEs. She was later awarded the MARA Scholarship and pursued the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Kolej MARA Seremban. She later continued her studies in RCSI UCD Malaysia Campus (RUMC) where she did her pre-clinical years in the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) and completed her clinical years in Penang which she is part of the graduating class of 2025 in Medicine.
Her interest in medicine developed during high school, where she initially developed a strong passion for biomedical research, particularly in microbiology in which she participated in several science projects. However, she began to wonder how she could extend her knowledge beyond the laboratory and create a more direct impact on patients. To her, medicine became the bridge between scientific understanding and meaningful patient care.
In hospitals, doctors often work under immense pressure, while caring for multiple patients while making urgent clinical decisions. Despite the high stress environment, doctors are expected to show compassion in the care they provide which are moments that may leave a deep impression in the patient’s experience.
For Dr. Ainatul, one particular weekend remains unforgettable.
At the time, she was working as a house officer where she was responsible for 18 patients in the ward on her own. Between prescribing medications, inserting cannulas, chasing referrals, and ensuring unstable patients remained safe, the day felt relentless. Every task demanded urgency, and every minute mattered.
Yet amidst the chaos, one patient changed the way she viewed care.
While preparing to take an arterial blood gas on a patient with worsening pneumonia, Dr. Ainatul was juggling multiple priorities. Alarms were sounding throughout the wards, patients requiring constant attention and maintaining both efficacy and patient safety was a challenge. In the midst of this busy shift, a member of the nursing staff asked her to review another patient who had undergone a colonoscopy earlier that morning. When she first met him, he appeared distressed and irritable while recovering from sedation. Initially, she interpreted his frustration as anger. However, as she spoke with him, she realised something else which the patient seemed exhausted, uncomfortable, and unheard of.
During transfer clerking, the patient expressed frustration with his hospital experience and repeatedly said he felt he had not been cared for properly. At that moment, Dr. Ainatul felt conflicted. She was responsible for explaining to the patient that he needed to fast for another 24 hours due to findings from his Upper GI Endoscopy. Investigations had revealed an esophageal tear, known as Mallory-Weiss tear which has caused an acute bleeding. During the procedure, a haemostatic powder had been applied to control the bleeding and promote healing of the tear. She had countless ward responsibilities waiting but she also recognised that this patient needed more than clinical management. So, she then asked the patient a simple question:
”What is bothering you?”
His answer surprised her, he was hungry because of the procedure and subsequent findings, the patient was required to continue fasting and receive intravenous fluids. However, after already fasting beforehand, the thought of continuing without food felt unbearable to him. Dr. Ainatul realised that explaining the medical plan alone was not enough.
She discussed the case with her registrar and explored whether a liquid diet could be introduced safely without compromising treatment. After agreement, she returned to the patient and explained the adjusted plan.
She noticed something had changed in his expression.
His frustration softened.
There was a brief silence but it was not the silence of anger, instead it was one that felt closer to relief and understanding.
That moment stayed with her.
Looking back, Dr. Ainatul reflected that patients are not simply diagnoses or treatment plans. They are people experiencing fear, discomfort, uncertainty, and exhaustion. Sometimes, compassionate care does not require dramatic interventions but it comes from something simpler yet hard to do such as listening, understanding what matters to the patient, and making small adjustments when possible.
This experience taught her that advocacy can exist in the smallest decisions.
Now, whenever she cares for patients, she asks herself:
“What small adjustment can I make today to help someone feel more human in a hospital environment?”