Palliative care: Increasing comfort with discussing advanced care planning with patients and their families
Palliative Care Month Mini-Series Part II
Courageous Conversations: Increasing Comfort with Discussing Advanced Care Planning with Patients and their Families
Presented by
Tessie October, MD, MPH
Critical Care Medicine, Children’s National
Data show many patients do not receive the care they desire at the end-of-life. Although clinicians recognize the importance of advanced directives, talking about death is difficult and infrequently done. Advanced directives allow patients to inform their friends, family and medical team of their wishes for the end-of-life. Understanding strategies and tools that aid in beginning these courageous conversations can improve how we communicate with families about end-of-life care. De-mystifying death opens the healthcare community to normalizing the behavior of having the discussion. In this presentation, we will begin the conversation.
Learning Objectives:
Attendees of this session will be able to:
- Decode the alphabet soup of advanced directives, MOLST forms, AND and DNR orders
- Have an increased awareness of available legal advanced directive tools
- Possess key word tools for your toolbox on initiating end-of-life conversations with patients and their families
- Understand the value in creating your own advanced directive