Overcoming the tendency to lie to dying patients

Abstract

A meaningful death can be fostered for a patient and his or her family with the aid of medical treatment, specifically through the alleviation of the patient's suffering and pain. To recognize the dying process is a part of the art of medicine. Compassionate care for dying patients includes a move from a curative model of care to a palliative model of care in defining the primary goal. Hospice volunteer training and practice is sufficient palliative care training to develop these skills. The time has come for incorporating palliative care into the curriculum of medical school.

End-of-Life Issues in UK Medical Schools

“…Accordingly, as noted by a recent study in Iran, which suggested that physicians often lack the skills to communicate with patients and their families regarding EOL issues, 7 such inadequacy is apparently widespread. Stolick said over a decade ago 8 that the time has come for incorporating palliative care into the curriculum of medical schools and that compassionate care for dying patients includes a move from a curative model of care to a palliative model of care.…”

Narratives of Hospice Volunteers: Perspectives on Death and Dying

“…Spirituality training includes a personal spiritual formation as well as the skill to be a spiritual companion (Larson, 1997). In fact, many volunteer training programs prepare individuals for their own death or the death of a person they love (Leete, 1994;Stolick, 2002). This study Qualitative Research Reports in Communication 55 illustrates that volunteer stories of ''good deaths'' might serve as the best means of influencing an individual to get involved with hospice.…”

“…Narrative training teaches individuals to use story formats to provide instruction, prompt dialogue, enhance listening skills, and aid individuals ''in crossing the barrier from collecting the known to approaching the unknown'' (Sunwolf, 1999, p. 63). Likewise, one of the most important qualities of volunteers is their ability to listen (Leete, 1994;Stolick, 2002), which allows them to ''just be'' with a patient (Stolick, 2002). For example, an ethnographic account of hospice volunteers revealed that good listening meant focusing on the life of the patient and not impending death (Foster, 2002).…”

“…members on the care team, as the volunteer typically has more contact with the patient and the family (Craig, 1994;Hall & Marshall, 1996;Stolick, 2002). Given their unique role, volunteers' experiences become a meaningful data source that has the potential to contribute to knowledge about end-of-life care.…”

Death and Dying: Implications for Dance/Movement Therapy

“…The medical profession serves the physiological aspects of the body while often excluding the emotional needs of the individual. Literature has recently surfaced (Stolick, 2002) suggesting the transition from a curative model of care to a palliative model of care for physicians working with terminally-ill individuals. A palliative model of care offers medical treatment and psychological support to dying individuals, as well as emotional and physical support to caregivers (Barrera, 2004).…”