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Published on: December 15, 2023
How Should Surgeons Communicate About Palliative and Curative Intentions, Purposes, and Outcomes?
1Director of bioethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University in California.
Abstract:
How surgeons describe procedures should be accurate, precise, and concordant with patients' values. By focusing on intention rather than realistic goals, terms like curative and palliative, when applied to high-stakes operations, such as a Whipple pancreaticoduodenectomy, can be confusing to patients. This case commentary argues that surgeons' language choices can influence patients' decisions and experiences.
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