“Palliative chemotherapy” – a term that should be laid to rest
May 14, 2014
by: Alex Smith, @AlexSmithMD What is this term “palliative chemotherapy”? Are the words “palliative” and “chemotherapy” so incompatible that their…
Communication training: is simulation enough?
December 5, 2013
A video example of palliative care communication techniques in the wrong hands by: Alex Smith, @AlexSmithMD Major paper in JAMA…
Literature Potpourri
October 26, 2013
by: Alex Smith, @AlexSmithMD Ronald Reagan died in 2004 of advanced dementia Some great paper GeriPal readers should be award…
Using YouTube Movie Clips to Teach Breaking Bad News
May 7, 2013
Some of my favorite teaching incorporates video. Recently, I saw an End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) DVD with movie excerpts.…
The Power of Stories: Listening to Our Patients
July 6, 2012
“I realized how hard it is to hear a quiet patient’s voice when we are surrounded by such a cacophony…
Potpourri from Clinical Work VI
February 1, 2012
Just finished another couple of weeks attending on the palliative care service, and wanted to share a couple of thoughts…
SIT DOWN!!
December 12, 2011
Sometimes the best ideas are so simple that you both marvel at their eloquence and wonder why you never thought…
Hospital DNR Orders – WTF (Why They Failed)
February 8, 2011
A thought provoking article just came out ahead of print in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. It is titled…
AND orders: A Confusing Conjuction that Attempts to Allow a Natural Death
December 6, 2010
Paula Span has an excellent article out today in the NY Times titled “D.N.R. by Another Name.” In it, she…
Dumb Medicine: Screening for Cancer in Patients already Diagnosed with Incurable Cancer
October 13, 2010
I used to get sports illustrated, and my favorite column was titled “this weeks sign that the apocalypse is upon…