Palliative care relies heavily on communication. Although some guidelines do address
difficult communication, less is known about how to handle conversations with patients who …

This is the second article in the psychological elements of palliative care (PEPC) series. This
series focuses on how key concepts from psychotherapy can be used in the context of …

The primary mission of palliative care is to assist and guide patients through all phases of
treatment and crucial to this work is maintaining the patient's integrity and dignity. To …

Objective: Advance care planning (ACP) discussions are emphasized as a valuable way of
improving communication about end-of-life care. Yet we have very little knowledge of what …

OBJECTIVE: Studies have repeatedly found that providers miss 70–90% of opportunities to
express empathy. Our study sought to characterize provider responses to patients' emotions …

Background: Seriously ill hospitalized patients and their loved ones are frequently faced with
complex treatment decisions laden with expressions of emotional distress during palliative …

Patients undergo multiple transitions during the course of their cancer care. Oncologists are
uniquely positioned to help patients through these transitions. When patients' situations …

Physicians recognize the importance of patients' emotions in healing yet believe their own
emotional responses represent lapses in objectivity. Patients complain that physicians are …

Through misplaced words and actions, health professionals can unwittingly inflict pain at
such a vulnerable time—not only onto patients, but also onto friends and families, ultimately …

In this article, the authors select two categories of dying patients,“troubled” and “credible,”
from two larger studies conducted in three palliative care settings. They explore how nurses …