Death is inevitable. It's time we learned to talk about it.

Death is inevitable. It's time we learned to talk about it. 
MedPageToday; by Nidhi Bhaskar; 8/13/24 
By fostering honest and compassionate discussions, we can provide patients with more dignity. Years ago, in a busy emergency department, I found myself joining my mentor at the bedside of an elderly man experiencing chest pain. After completing the physical exam, the doctor unceremoniously changed gears to abruptly ask our patient, "If your heart were to stop beating, do you want us to do everything?" Between the stress of the situation and the vague and awkward delivery of the question, our patient seemed (understandably) overwhelmed. So was I. ... End-of-life conversations can feel like a "word soup" of sorts ... it is easy for patients and providers alike to feel lost. ... Providers must also consider the nuances of cultural attitudes towards death; the location and family arrangements surrounding a person at the end of life; and the varying emotional responses and feelings of decision paralysis surrounding how one dies and how one feels about dying.
Editor's Note: For a related article in our newsletter today, read "Examining the relationship between rural and urban clinicians’ familiarity with patients and families and their comfort with palliative and end-of-life care communication."