Navigating Communication with Seriously Ill Patients

Robert M. Arnold, MD, FACP, FAAHPM is Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and the Center for Bioethics and Health Law at the University of Pittsburgh. He was the Past-President of the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities as well as the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). He has mentored both investigators and educators and helped start VitalTalk, a non-profit organization whose aim is to ensure that every seriously ill patient has clinicians who can talk about what matters most. Anthony L. Back, MD is Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. His research into patient-oncologist communication led to the founding of VitalTalk. His awards include the American Cancer Society (ACS) Pathfinder in Palliative Care Award, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology Walther Cancer Foundation Palliative and Supportive Care Award. Elise C. Carey, MD, FACP, FAAHPM is Associate Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and the Education & Faculty Development Chair for the Mayo Clinic Palliative Medicine Specialty Council. Dr. Carey currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and as a Strategic Partner and Distinguished Faculty with VitalTalk. She has been recognized nationally for her contributions to education and program development, including winning the Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Award in 2014. James A. Tulsky, MD, FACP, FAAHPM is the Poorvu Jaffe Chair of the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Chief of the Division of Palliative Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a co-founder of VitalTalk. Dr Tulsky has received multiple awards for his work devoted to improving the experience for patients living with serious illness including the ACS Pathfinder in Palliative Care and the AAHPM Award for Research Excellence. Gordon J. Wood, MD, MSCI, FAAHPM is Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Education in the Section of Palliative Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr Wood currently serves as the Associate Director of the Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (EPEC) Program and as a Strategic Partner and Distinguished Faculty with VitalTalk. He has received multiple awards including being named an Inspiring Hospice and Palliative Medicine Leader Under forty by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine in 2014. Holly B. Yang MD MSHPEd, HMDC, FACP, FAAHPM is the Scripps Health Co-Director of the UCSD/Scripps Health Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program, and a Voluntary Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Diego. She has been involved in interprofessional palliative care education nationally and internationally and has served as President of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Yang is a Strategic Partner and Distinguished Faculty with VitalTalk.

Preface; Acknowledgments; 1. Taking your skills to the next level; 2. Foundation communication skills; 3. Talking about serious news; 4. Discussing prognosis; 5. Planning for the future: discussing what's important, well before a crisis; 6. Discussing treatment decisions; 7. Between the big events; 8. Goals of care in late- stage disease; 9. Conducting a family conference; 10. Dealing with conflicts between clinicians and patients; 11. Working through conflicts with colleagues; 12. When you're really stuck; 13. Talking about dying; 14. Cultivating your skills; Index.