{"id":1851902,"date":"2018-08-29T10:59:07","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T14:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.futurity.org\/?p=1851902"},"modified":"2018-08-29T11:00:09","modified_gmt":"2018-08-29T15:00:09","slug":"palliative-care-communication-1851902-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.futurity.org\/palliative-care-communication-1851902-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Caregivers: 7 ways for doctors to better discuss death"},"content":{"rendered":"
Caregivers would like more information about palliative care and a willingness from health professionals to discuss what to expect as illness progresses, according to new research.<\/p>\n
Researchers interviewed patients and 25 caregivers ages 21 to 78 on their experiences in the health care system. Their findings show the caregivers:<\/p>\n
“I hope this work will encourage us to have these conversations with each other, and, as health professionals, with our patients,” says team leader and palliative care specialist Jennifer Philip, who works in the University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research and St Vincent’s Hospital. “These are not easy conversations. They need to be handled with care and sensitivity.”<\/p>\n
Philip says language around end-of-life care was especially important. For example, she says saying a patient had “no more treatment options so entered palliative care” was damaging and limited people’s possibilities.<\/p>\n
“Palliative care is a form of treatment that provides benefits to patients and carers,” she adds. “The way we talk about end-of-life care can lead to misunderstandings but also, sadly, to suffering and missed opportunities.”<\/p>\n
The findings appear in the journal Palliative Medicine<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n