POLST: Standardizing End-of-Life Orders rather than Patient Communication
April 20, 2010
Over the last 30 years we have tried to standardize patient communication about end-of-life issues though the utilization of statutory…
An ER Physician’s Take on DNR Orders
April 13, 2010
It is a story that happens all too frequently in a fragmented healthcare system. A woman with cancer on chemotherapy…
“Do not punctuate the end of your life with a senseless act of brutality!”
January 22, 2010
Words have power. Language has power. The words we use may comfort or shock, allay or provoke, sooth or batter…
Potpourri from clinical work
November 10, 2009
I’ve been attending on our hospital’s palliative care service. Several things have been on my mind, and although I don’t…
Can We Agree To Disagree
October 21, 2009
JAMA published an essaythis week about a conversation I had with my grandparents entitled “Can We Agree to Disagree”. This…
Trying to Integrate Advance Care Planning Into Clinic
August 27, 2009
As a geriatrician who primarily sees patients in clinic, I find myself often wondering how best to apply what I’ve…