Palliative care conference tackles tough questions

It’s a tough conversation to have, and a tough situation to be in.

On June 11, UNMC will host a conference on “Palliative Medicine — Communication Tips for Providers,” designed to help participants, including physicians, nurses or other care providers, to effectively, ethically and empathetically communicate with seriously ill or dying people.

The idea for the conference arose from a conversation organizer Larry Parsons, M.D., had with a fellow provider.

“In our experience in palliative care, one of the major things we do besides symptom management is discussing those difficult topics,” said Dr. Parsons, who holds UNMC’s first fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine. “The opportunity to see that there is a good way to handle these situations, and a less-good way, is something everyone can benefit from.”

The half-day conference will focus on four topics:

Breaking bad news
“When the information is bad, it’s really pivotal how you share that,” Dr. Parsons said. “This is going to be an experience the family will remember for a lifetime. And the question is, as the provider, how do you want to be remembered?

“There are ways that can be done that communicates the information, but communicates it in a way that is humane, effective and supports the family, rather than the opposite.”

Ethical issues in caring for the seriously ill
Ethics experts will discuss issues and ethical dilemmas that can arise when planning decisions by the patient or family may conflict with what the provider believes is the best, the moral or the ethical choice.

Code status: Full, informed consent
“For everyone that comes to the hospital, you have to establish code status,” Dr. Parsons said. “If they stop breathing, what do we do? This is a topic that every intern and resident hates to address, and often it is addressed very poorly, and not in an informative fashion.”

Answering tough questions and addressing difficult topics
“Finally, we’ll role play, where we’ll have someone playing the role of a patient, and we’ll address some of the difficult questions that come up in the care discussions,” Dr. Parsons said.

The conference will be held from 7:45 a.m. to noon at the Sorrell Center, Room 1005, and will be presented by the Palliative Care Department, a division of the UNMC Family Medicine Department. To reserve a space, please email Marlene Hawver at mhawver@unmc.edu.