--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've seen so many patients, particularly…" description: "\"I've seen so many patients, particularly elderly patients, over the years who become debilitated and changed by the process by which I cure them or ano..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36d/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_another_i-ve-seen-so-many-patients-particularly_964841.png" --- # I've seen so many patients, particularly elderly patients… ![“I've seen so many patients, particularly elderly patients, over the years who become debilitated and changed by the process by which I cure them or another doctor cures them. And has it really been worth it?” quote by Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36d/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_another_i-ve-seen-so-many-patients-particularly_964841.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36d/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_another_i-ve-seen-so-many-patients-particularly_964841.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36d/sherwin-b-nuland-10278_another_i-ve-seen-so-many-patients-particularly_964841.png) > “I've seen so many patients, particularly elderly patients, over the years who become debilitated and changed by the process by which I cure them or another doctor cures them. And has it really been worth it?” [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Elderly patients often lose autonomy and quality of life due to aggressive medical interventions, prompting doubts about the value of such treatments. **In simple terms:** Aggressive treatment can diminish patients' dignity and well‑being. Key Takeaway Balance treatment benefits with patients' quality of life. Themes medicine ethics aging patient care Mood empathetic reflective Type ethical clinical When to use this quote - hospital care - end‑of‑life decisions - family discussions Key Concepts beneficence autonomy palliative care Questions to Reflect On - When is medical intervention justified? - How can we respect patient autonomy? A Different Perspective Overtreatment may cause more harm than benefit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another/) [Become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/become/) [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/) [Cure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cure/) [Cure Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cure-doctor-1812371/) [Cures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cures/) [Cures Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cures-really-1812368/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Doctor Cures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor-cures-1812370/) [Elderly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elderly/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [Over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over/) [Particularly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particularly/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Patients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patients/) [Patients Particularly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patients-particularly-1812369/) [Patients Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patients-years-1812372/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seen/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/which/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth/) [Worth it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-it/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [I think hiccup cures were really invented for the amusement of the patient's friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-think-hiccup-cures-were-really-invented-for-the-amusement-of-the/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [If the doctor cures, the sun sees it; but if he kills, the earth hides it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/if-the-doctor-cures-the-sun-sees-it-but-if-he-kills-the-earth-hides-it/) [Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/proverb/) > [Once the notion of depression had begun to dominate the diagnostic armamentarium, it became but a matter of time before patients with relatively mild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/once-the-notion-of-depression-had-begun-to-dominate-the-diagnostic/) [Sherwin B. 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Many of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/i-got-interested-in-the-emotions-after-studying-patients-who-had-lost/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Many of us are alarmed at the skyrocketing cost of medical care, including patients, who are the consumers. However, medical malpractice is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-baca/many-of-us-are-alarmed-at-the-skyrocketing-cost-of-medical-care/) [Joe Baca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-baca/) > [Patients' lives are more important than embryos. I do want to avoid the use of embryos if possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinya-yamanaka/patients-lives-are-more-important-than-embryos-i-do-want-to-avoid-the/) [Shinya Yamanaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinya-yamanaka/) > [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. 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