Stanford Medicine reports that research has found that while almost all doctors agree that it is important for them to have end-of-life conversations with their patients, most doctors struggle with these conversations.
Physicians are human, and like most humans, they struggle with the reality and inevitability of death – their own and others. Patients need to understand this and prepare in advance of having advance care planning conversations with their healthcare providers.
CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW FOR RESOURCES TO HELP YOU HAVE PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR PHYSICIANS.
Advance Care Planning Decisions (ACP Decisions) seeks to empower patients to make informed medical decisions by engaging in shared decision-making with their healthcare providers. ACP Decisions produces content to assist patients and providers in decision-making in clinical settings. Videos and fact sheets in multiple languages are provided on the following subjects: The Conversation; POLST; What is Palliative Care; Talking to Your Doctor; and A Patient Checklist.
CaringInfo.org provides free resources, information, and motivation for actively learning about end-of-life resources.
Five Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before You Agree to any Test, Treatment, or Procedure. A handout in both English and Spanish produced by Choosing Wisely.
Compassion and Choices seeks to empower people to get the care they want during a serious illness or at the end of life by helping people plan well and become good advocates for themselves and their loved ones.
- Web information: How to Talk to Your Doctor
- Handout: How to Talk with Your Doctor About Your End-of-Life Options
The Conversation Project, an initiative of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, is a public engagement initiative with a goal to have every person's wishes for end-of-life care expressed and respected.
- Your Guide to Talking with Your Healthcare Team In English, Spanish, and Chinese.
- What Matters to Me Workbook – A guide to help people with serious illness get ready to talk to their healthcare team about what matters to them. In English, Spanish, and Chinese.
The Joint Commission – Speak Up Campaign The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit organization that accredits more than 22,000 US healthcare organizations and medical services around the world. The goal of the Joint Commission’s “Speak Up” campaign is to help patients and their advocates become active in their healthcare.
- Speak Up About Your Care Videos and fact sheets available in English and Spanish.
- Speak Up About Anesthesia and Sedation Fact sheet available in English and Spanish.
- Speak Up Antibiotics Know the Facts Videos and fact sheets available in English and Spanish.
- Speak Up About Your Disease Care (Diabetes) Brochure available in English and Spanish.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late 1880s and is now part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
- NIH Resources: “Talking to your Doctor” NIH provides various resources to help you talk with your doctor about aging, cancer, diabetes, mental health and other concerns.
