Challenging Conversations in Palliative Care
Keyword(s):
Palliative care specialists manage a variety of difficult medical and psychosocial situations across a wide spectrum of medical conditions. Patient–physician communication is a critical element for the provision of quality palliative care and improving patient satisfaction. It is essential for palliative care clinicians to be aware of the various challenging conversions they will encounter in their routine clinical care and to develop the necessary skill set to adequately address these. Several communication techniques, such as a sitting posture during a conversion, proper use of silence, listening, and recognizing emotional movements and responding to them, are important so as to improve clinical care for patients and their families.