The experience of sitting at the bedside of a loved one as s/he comes to the end of life is utterly one-of-a-kind: unique to the people involved and the circumstances of those final days, hours, and seconds. But there are also so many common—if not universal—elements to it as well.

The only thing worse than a little knowledge may be a lot of knowledge. We clinicians rue the arrival of web-based medical “information” and advice which gives patients and their families the feeling they know as much—or more—than their care providers.

One of my most talented, passionate teachers in medical school, a professor of histology, frequently challenged us to “see God in man,” the divine manifest in the smallest cells and in the largest organs. Regardless of how one interprets “God” based upon personal religious or spiritual beliefs, my professor’s charge speaks to the very human need to search for a greater purpose in nature and in our own physical realities.

The healing nature of personal connection is evident in “Caretaking.” In my short story “Numb,” I also see the salutary effects of the simplest kinds of human contact. In “Numb,” it is only by listening to the frustrations of another person with a spinal cord injury that the protagonist is able to attain an acceptance of her own losses.

It is difficult to bear witness, to allow in the present moment, to grasp the full extent of suffering, memories, and loss. However, doing so can also be a source of healing for both the giver and receiver, a means to close old wounds, to offer hope, and to conceive life anew.

I was taught 80 percent of diagnosis comes from history (which is why we have to listen), 15 percent from our exam, and the multitude of tests we over-order helps with only 5 percent. However, the physical exam and a simple handshake do more than contribute to a diagnosis. It is how we bond and offer healing.