Question

Video # 3

How Doctors Tell Patients They’re Dying/Being Mortal

Mortality is part of life but is difficult to face, no matter what the situation is surrounding it. Whether the patient has been battling with a disease for a long time, or a short time. Provide a minimum of a two paragraph response.

In the first part of the response, you are the loved one. Describe what is going through you mind at the beginning of the video when the first physician comes in to speak to you and the patient. As the days go by and your loved one’s medical condition is deteriorating, describe what you are feeling in detail.

For the second part of the response, you are the Caregiver (Physician). Describe what you are feeling and thinking as you speak to the patient and his loved one. As the video advances, you are the one who has to help the family member face the reality of the situation. How do you feel and what is going through your mind?

Answer 1

First Part - Being the caretaker and loved one, it is very difficult phase when the physician first comes to speak. You simply wish to hear only good things about patient's recovery. You just pray to Almighty that physician should come and tell you that the disease is not severe and the patient can be cured. Or you simply think that physician will come and say that the investigations he ordered have revealed nothing and only on safer side, he did it to rule out the risk. Or sometimes you think that let physician tell you that reports are wrong or doubtful. So he repeated tests from another lab and it has turned out to be normal. In all, you pray and pray to God that everything will be alright. Then the moment comes when the physician reveals the truth and you are emotionally shattered. But you need to be strong in front of patient. You need to give courage to patient that he/she will be alright.however, you know that day by day, your patients condition will get deteriorated and it is feeling of being helpless that you can't do anything about it. AT one side you are grief stuck and other side you have to show that everything is fine to the patient so that patient gets motivation. It is like you have tears in eyes but you can not show it. It is emotionally drilling phase.

Second part - How to reveal bad news to the patient and caretaker is difficult part for the physician. As a physician you have communicate real scenario to the patient and caregiver. You can not hide anything. You need compliance both from patient and caregiver so that your treatment is followed properly. While revealing bad part , as physician I will go step by step. I will first tell patient and caretaker that nothing is immortal. Everything has an end. What matters is quality of life and not quantity. Then I will talk to caregiver about how she/he is feeling. What is the situation at home. How other family members are reacting to illness phase of the patient . I will try to give realistic scenario to caregiver about patient's condition and what is the path ahead. But I will also tell caregiver that I am with him/her in this difficult journey. I will tell them that they should feel free to reach out to me and hospital for any help. I will tell to the caretaker that emotionally it will be very tough phase for him or her along with physical strain of providing care to the patient. But he or she need to be strong. They can share the burden and pain with me and I will support them in this tough journey.