Doctors vary on willingness to talk about hospice

[riky]

Doctors vary on willingness to talk about hospice

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Doctors' personal preferences may influence when they discuss end-of-life care with patients, says a new study. "Although most patients do ultimately talk about some end-of-life topics before they die, the vast majority of these conversations happen during acute care hospital stays and at the end of life," Dr. Nancy Keating, the study's senior author, said. The goal of so-called palliative care is to control pain and other symptoms and to make sure patients and their families are supported emotionally. Hospice care, in particular, is palliative care for patients who are in their last months of life.

Source: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login