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Communication in caring for terminally ill patients
J T Berger1, F Rosner, J Potash
1Department of Medicine, Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola, New York, USA. jberger@ms.cc.sunysb.edu
Journal of Palliative Medicine
|April 30, 2005
Summary
Providing excellent end-of-life care is a medical duty. Physicians should accept death as natural, manage it with calm, and create personalized care plans, prioritizing patient communication.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Palliative Care
Background:
- Ensuring quality end-of-life care is a fundamental medical obligation.
- Dying is an integral part of the human experience that requires medical attention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline essential components of high-quality care for dying patients.
- To emphasize the physician's role in managing end-of-life care with equanimity and individualized attention.
Main Methods:
- This study is a conceptual analysis of the principles of good end-of-life care.
- It synthesizes ethical obligations with practical approaches to patient care.
Main Results:
- Physicians must accept the naturalness of death.
- Attentive, individualized care plans are crucial.
- Effective communication is central to patient and family support.
Conclusions:
- Fulfilling the obligation of good end-of-life care requires physicians to integrate dying into life's continuum.
- Equanimity in facing death and robust communication are key to patient-centered care.
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