Mastering communication with seriously ill patients
Subtitle: balancing honesty with empathy and hope
By: Anthony Back, Robert Arnold, James Tulsky ; with contributions by Kelly Fryer-Edwards and Walter Baile.
Contributors: Back, Anthony.; Arnold, Robert M., 1957-; Tulsky, James A.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 158
ISBN-13: 9780521706186
Subjects: Communication in medicine; Medical personnel and patient; Critically ill; Physician-Patient Relations; Attitude to Death; Communication; Counseling -- methods; Professional-Family Relations
Description: Physicians who care for patients with life-threatening illnesses face daunting communication challenges. Patients and family members can react to difficult news with sadness, distress, anger, or denial. This book defines the specific communication tasks involved in talking with patients with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Topics include delivering bad news, transition to palliative care, discussing goals of advance-care planning and do-not-resuscitate orders, existential and spiritual issues, family conferences, medical futility, and other conflicts at the end of life. Drs. Anthony Back, Robert Arnold, and James Tulsky bring together empirical research as well as their own experience to provide a roadmap through difficult conversations about life-threatening issues. The book offers both a theoretical framework and practical conversational tools that the practicing physician and clinician can use to improve communication skills, increase satisfaction, and protect themselves from burnout.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Taking your skills to the next level; title: Getting a good start; title: Talking about serious news; title: Discussing evidence for making treatment decisions; title: Discussing prognosis; title: Between the big events; title: Conducting a family conference; title: Dealing with conflicts; title: Transitions to end-of-life care; title: Talking about dying; title: Cultivating your skills.