Brad Stuart, MD

Brad Stuart is a palliative care physician.

September 28, 2010Sep 28, 2010

Atul Gawande’s brilliant essay in the New Yorker sums up the dilemma we face, whether we’re patients, families, and/or clinicians, as we near the end of life. His point is that we have to face it together: “People die only…

Atul Gawande’s brilliant essay in the New Yorker sums up the dilemma we face, whether we’re patients, families, and/or clinicians, as we near the end of life. His point is that we have to face it together:

“People die only once. They have no experience to draw upon. They need doctors and nurses who are willing to have the hard discussions and say what they …

Patients

Talking with patients about their impending death

Brad Stuart, MD

July 23, 2010Jul 23, 2010

The emergency department phoned my office right before lunch. I was on call for our general IM group, so when I was done with my morning schedule I walked across the street to the hospital. Greg, my partner's 38 year…

The emergency department phoned my office right before lunch.

I was on call for our general IM group, so when I was done with my morning schedule I walked across the street to the hospital. Greg, my partner’s 38 year old patient, was a woodworker admitted with fever, chills, cough, a sharp pain in his right side, and a WBC of 18,000. On the chest x-ray, I saw what I …

Patients

Patients who are dying and their awareness of death

Brad Stuart, MD

June 2, 2010Jun 2, 2010

Rob Pardi’s comments in Pallimed affected me deeply. His honesty, integrity, and willingness to share were so impressive that I feel reluctant to take issue with anything he had to say. Yet today I find myself somewhat in conflict with…

Rob Pardi’s comments in Pallimed affected me deeply. His honesty, integrity, and willingness to share were so impressive that I feel reluctant to take issue with anything he had to say. Yet today I find myself somewhat in conflict with his message.

Rob’s wife, a palliative care doctor, died of cancer recently and her story, published in the New York Times made it sound as if she’d fought to …