Palliative Care

Unlocking the secrets of cancer conferences: an end-of-life counselor’s journey among pharmaceutical giants

Conditions
May 27, 2023

“One should . . . be able to see things as hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald

I’m in a massive ballroom with numerous tables and promotional placards lining the walls and center. In attendance are every pharmaceutical manufacturer and their sales reps. All the biggies are here; Pfizer, Merck, Novartis, and AstraZeneca, to name a few. Their drugs are household names because they advertise …

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Inside the life of a hospice physician: Bringing peace to the dying

Physician
April 30, 2023

“I don’t know how you do what you do.” About 90 percent of the time, this is the response I get when I tell people that I am a hospice physician. “Isn’t it sad to work with dying people all the time? You lose all of your patients… that must be so difficult.”

Having been exposed to the many different ways that people can die throughout my medical training, I see …

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Jimmy Carter’s end-of-life decision: Respecting patient autonomy and the importance of hospice care

Conditions
April 12, 2023

A KevinMD article about Jimmy Carter’s end-of-life care decision, “The heartbreaking story of Jimmy Carter: a call for Medicare reform in end-of-life care,” indicated that the former president’s decision was heartbreaking. However, I have a different view. In my opinion, the 39th president, at age 98, made an autonomous and well-informed decision.

On February 18, The Carter Center announced in a statement that “after a series of short hospital stays, …

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The heartbreaking story of Jimmy Carter: a call for Medicare reform in end-of-life care

Conditions
April 4, 2023

The purpose of the serious illness conversation is to offer patients a clear choice between treating and not treating an incurable disease like liver cancer. The goal is to give the person permission to alleviate pain and suffering. The individual might decide to be treated as a patient or honored as a person if given this option near the end of life.

A non-serious illness conversation ends with the patient wishing …

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Tom Brady’s legacy and the importance of personal integrity in end-of-life choices

Physician
March 29, 2023

With no true endgame or advance directive, Tom Brady’s legacy as an NFL superstar and family man remains nebulous.

Is his recent retirement from football officially the end? Will he entertain offers to stay alive and play one more year? With being at the 45-year-old “yard line” and facing the goalpost at the end of the football field, what’s his endgame for the next year?

When do the false promises end …

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Finding peace through surrender: a personal exploration

Physician
March 21, 2023

Words are everything.

They carry energy. They are the currency of our connection to each other. They are the currency through which we will share with future generations; they are how we communicate with people in generations past. And they carry weight in terms of how we speak to ourselves.

When we begin to grow in awareness of the words we are using and the language we choose, it sometimes becomes humbling …

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Navigating the ethical minefield of assisted suicide [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 27, 2023
YouTube video

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Join us as we delve into the controversial topic of assisted suicide with our guest, Nicholas S. Tito, a medical student. This thought-provoking episode will explore the Western world’s growing support for legally assisted euthanasia and the …

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The comfort of colleagues: a story of love and loss in palliative care

Physician
February 27, 2023

“I just can’t. I can’t,” Wendy sobbed into my hair. We barely made it out the door when our bodies collapsed together, puddles holding puddles. The children, 5 and 7, had just left with their tiny grey backpacks, tiny soldiers off to the abyss. Pastel crayon drawings taped to every pale pink wall: “Mom! Get well soon!” But she wouldn’t. Rainbows and stick figures clung to the white paper on …

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Jimmy Carter brings attention to hospice care: the compassionate side of modern medicine

Conditions
February 20, 2023

The recent decision by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to transition to hospice brings much-needed attention to this crucial part of health care. Hospice care is an essential and compassionate component of modern medicine, providing support and care to patients and families during the most challenging time of their lives. Historically, hospice care has been long stigmatized as giving up on treatment. However, the truth is the opposite. Hospice provides …

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Ensuring your voice is heard: the importance of power of attorney, advance care directives, and POLST forms

Conditions
February 9, 2023

My husband was clearly losing his independence after a terminal diagnosis and many hospital visits. I was getting more and more responsibility, which I didn’t mind, but the best way we could handle it was just to let it happen. There was no way to stop it, so we just had to live with it. The changes were slow in coming, and eventually, my being responsible for everything just fell …

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A physician’s journey with COVID-19: reflections on mental coping mechanisms and seeking care [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 30, 2023
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

In this episode, we hear from Alen Voskanian, a palliative care physician, who shares his personal experience with COVID-19. Dr. Voskanian reflects on the mental coping mechanisms he used to try and understand how he contracted the …

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End-of-life choices: Why Medicare needs to change [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 21, 2023
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

End-of-life care is a crucial and often overlooked aspect of health care. In this episode, we speak with Kevin Haselhorst, an emergency physician and author who shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities in this area. …

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The power of communication in palliative care: How words can heal and instill hope

Physician
January 14, 2023

Effective communication has the potential to promote understanding, safety, and connection. It is the foundation of high-quality health care. Our use of language to heal is important in all facets of medicine, but words may be even more powerful when patients face a terminal diagnosis. When medications and life-saving interventions are less of a priority, language can instill hope and honor the human behind the illness. As such, I believe …

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The slippery slope of legal assisted suicide and euthanasia

Policy
January 13, 2023

We began with terminally ill patients, but the slippery slope is alive and well, smothered in oil. The Western world is increasingly advocating for the advancement of legal euthanasia, and this is a huge mistake. In their quest, advocates for legally assisted suicide by way of a physician are redefining the definition of “immense suffering.” For example, Canada is considering including mental health disorders as eligible for legally assisted euthanasia. …

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Learn to earn end-of-life respect

Physician
January 6, 2023

Pele, the famous Brazilian soccer star, reportedly stopped medical treatment for colon cancer. Media outlets stated he was receiving various iterations of comfort, hospice, and palliative care which were perceived as criminal and disrespectful. His daughter denied these allegations on Instagram.

How often are those with serious illnesses treated like criminals for wrongdoing?

When medical treatment is withdrawn or withheld, it seems the person has lost the battle or chose not …

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What’s the sense of having a living will if it’s not honored?

Conditions
December 25, 2022

‘This victory ensures that advance planning documents are legally enforceable and will be respected by doctors; if they are not, individuals can hold providers accountable for violating their health care decisions.”
– Greenberg decision, 2022

Dr. Gerald Greenberg was a New York dentist when in 2010, he was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. In 2011, he executed a living will stating the medical staff was to provide comfort measures only and no medical …

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Can Medicare advance directives be simple?

Physician
December 25, 2022

Consider Medicare enrollment with the end in mind. In case of emergency, do seniors prefer medical care or holistic care? Might they designate a medical power of attorney or a merciful power of attorney? Do they oblige CPR or sign a DNR order?

The JAMA Network just published Death and End-of-Life Care in Emergency Departments in the U.S. This retrospective cohort study concludes that,

Robust systems of emergency care …

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Who’s holding space for you?

Physician
December 23, 2022

The first time I saw someone die was when I volunteered in the ER as an undergraduate student.

That day I was helping in the trauma bay, and my job was to quickly run STAT or urgent blood specimens to the lab.

The year was 1994. It was winter time, and the tension of the people sitting in the waiting room was palpable to me every time I would go through those …

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