When I was based on an orthopaedic ward, I got the chance to observe surgery on a young woman close to my age and decided to base my creative work around this opportunity. The patient underwent a hip realignment procedure because she had experienced chronic pain for nearly ten years, which had limited her mobility and overall quality of life. This was the first leg to have surgery out of the two. This was my first surgery experience and I found it very difficult to observe the entire procedure.

The length of the operation, the fact that she was draped in a towel and the loss of tone in her limb, created the sensation that she was lifeless on the operating table. As a result, I attempted to portray this impression through a watercolour painting that only depicted a knee on the operation table, serving to obscure the patient’s identity as the painting has no face or body. I made the patient’s knee the focal point to highlight the type of surgery she was undergoing and to emphasise the patient’s vulnerability as her leg is exposed. I also removed the operating-theatre background and replaced it with a dark, almost night-time sky to highlight how she was alone and unaware of any mistakes that might have been made during the procedure. Perhaps this also reveals the level of confidence that the patient places in healthcare professionals and how much responsibility they hold for patients’ lives.

I used water colours to represent the patient’s lack of control because they are hard to control and define as the colours can mix unexpectedly. This mirrors the lack of agency the young person had during the surgery as she has put all her trust in the surgical team who are fully in control. I utilised light shades to demonstrate the physicians’ transparency and trustworthiness as mistakes may happen during the procedure that the patient is unaware of – symbolising the value of honesty and integrity as doctors.
 
This young woman was also from a Jehovah’s Witness denomination, which is something we learn/hear a lot about, but I’d never encountered in person. It was fascinating to watch how the physicians sought to recover every last drop of this patient’s blood to replace into her body because her faith does not accept blood of others. I’ve learnt through this experience that it takes a lot of considered collaboration to succeed – without the help of the nurses, anaesthetists, and other team members, it wouldn’t have been feasible.

Surgery is a learning process and decisions are made while the patient is under anaesthesia. This experience served most of all as a reminder of the level of trust that patients have in their doctors, something for me to always be mindful of in the future.