management of selected non pain Flashcards
1
Q
Steps in communicating serious news
A
- Prepare
- establish the patients understanding
- determine how much the patient wants to know (ASK)
- deliver the information (TELL)
- respond to the patients feeling
- ascertain the patients understanding (ASK)
- Organize a plan and follow-up process
2
Q
How to prepare
A
- deliver the news in person, privately
- minimize interruptions
- Allow time for discussion
3
Q
What and how much does the patient want to know?
A
- avoid making assumptions
- patients have the right to be told the truth and to decline to learn unwanted information
- REMEMBER
- -> patient may not want to know full details
- -> a patient may wish to have a family member informed instead
4
Q
Delivering serious news
A
- use phrasing that sends a warning shot to prepare the patients
- -> i feel bad to have to tell you that the growth turns out to be cancer
- avoid technical language or euphemisms
5
Q
After delviering serious news
A
- Respond to feelings
- -> use active listening
- -> encourage expression of emotions
- -> acknowledge the patients emotions
- organize a plan and follow-up process
- -> address the patienst concerns in immediate plan
- -> set an appointment for a follow-up visit
- -> sicuss additional tests, referrals sources of support
6
Q
patient-physician communication
A
- demanding, challenging
- classic methods
- leave patients feeling unheard and unsupported
- -> leave physicians frustrated demoralized
- research suggests that most physician aren’t as good at communication as they think
- effective communication is NOT innate; skills can be learned and can be improved with practice
7
Q
does better communication really make a differences?
A
PATIENTS: - improves patients adjustment to illness - lessens pain and physical symptoms - increases adherence to treatment plan - increases patient satisfaction with care received PHYSICIANS: - increases enjoyment in practice - decreases stress and burnout - decreases malpractice claims
8
Q
Premium on communication skills
A
- depth and breadth of internet usage (make patinets avid consumers of information
- advances in biomedical technology (make medical decision making more complicated
- Patients and families need physicians to help INTERPRET the info and ADD medical knowledge, clinical judgment, and experience (WISDOM) that is not available on a website
9
Q
Talking about serious news
A
- how the brain processes threats to life
- -> flight or fight takes precedence over cognitive processes
- -> autonomic response to threat takes precedence over cognitive processing (out of conscious control)
- MOST IMPORTANT SKILL TO ACQUIRE IS THE ABILITY TO DETECT AND RESPOND TO THE PATIENTS EMOTIONS
10
Q
What are key skills about talking about serious news
A
- RECOGNIZING AND RESPONDING TO EMOTIONS
- -> Commit to observe and use emotional data in your communication
- -> notice the patients emotion and NAME it for yourself
- -> refrain from trying to fix or quiet the patients emotion
- -> acknowledge the emotion explicitly
- MOST POWERFUL non-verbal communication is a combination of technical expertise, commitment and integrity - NOT A PRACTICED GESTURE now and then
11
Q
discussing prognosis
A
- pitfall = assuming you know what the patient wants
- solution = ask patients how they want to talk about prognosis
12
Q
patient preference trends
A
- education correlates with desire for more information
- more advanced illness correlates with wanting less info.
13
Q
take home message about Prognosis
A
- before talking about prognosis spend a minute finding out what the patient wants to know
14
Q
describe the roadmap discussing transition
A
- prepare yourself
- ensure the patient or family understands the medical situation
- assess the patients readiness to talk about whats next
- use big picture questions to elicit patients values and goals
- outline worries that are barriers to decision making
- offer to make a recommendation
- propose a new treatment plan that meets the patients goals
- request feedback about your proposal
15
Q
patients response to transition conversation
A
- ACCEPT that a transition is occurring = ready for specific end of life planning
- Want to negotiate = perceive that they are close to a transition but want to see more evidence
- Decline the clinicians assessment = usually reflects the prospect is too sad, too frightening, or too threatening