Nice story on role-playing to help doctors develop skills for end-of-life discussions. Quote:
Kali Barrett, a critical care fellow at the University of Toronto who is training at academic teaching hospitals associated with the school, faces difficult end-of-life conversations with families all the time. She recalls one family meeting that ended with screaming and tears. It’s an experience she will never forget, she says.
“It was a horrible situation and I was a mess,” said Dr. Barrett, one of the physicians who took part last week in Dr. Downar’s training program. “I actually felt I was doing good medical care, but because I could not communicate with this family, I felt like I was a horrible doctor.”
In another situation, a patient was dying and she was able to have compassionate conversation with the family and facilitate a “beautiful death,” with relatives gathered at the bedside.
“I knew even though the outcome was bad, the process was good,” she said
Teaching doctors a new approach to the end-of-life process – The Globe and Mail.
