Heartbreaking photo: Doctor steps outside after losing 19-year-old patient

The death of a patient takes its toll on an ER doctor. Photo / Reddit

Hearing that a family member has died is such an awful and wrenching experience for the relative that it's easy to forget the emotional toll that must be taken by doctors sharing the news.

It was laid bare in a photo shared on Reddit that shows a doctor stepping outside a hospital to collect his thoughts following the death of a young patient.

"The man pictured was unable to save one of his patients," the image's poster, who works as an EMT in California alongside a colleague who took the photo, explained.

"Though this is a common occurrence in our field of work, the patients we lose are typically old, sick, or some combination of the two. The patient that died was 19 years old, and for him, it was one of those calls we get sometimes that just hits you.

"Within a few minutes, the doctor stepped back inside, holding his head high again."

While a little voyeuristic, the photo is a reminder of the emotional rollercoaster ER doctors must go through every single day.

Photo / Reddit

"When [my father] died, the doctors who were working on him at the UCSD Medical Center were crushed. I could definitely see it in their eyes. They called my house multiple times throughout the year to see how my family was doing. Doctors do not get the praise they deserve," one user wrote, while a fellow doctor shared their own experience of the death of patients.

"I know I'm speaking in general here, and I know that we aren't all the same, however when it comes to our work, nothing is harder - and I mean nothing - than telling a loved one that their family member is dead," they said.

"Give me a bloody airway to intubate. Give me the heroin addict who needed IV access yesterday but no-one can get an IV. Give me the child with anaphylaxis. But don't give me the unexpected death."

- UK Independent