Based on sound, proven strategies and peppered throughout with illustrative examples, Practical Plans for Difficult Conversations in Medicine provides the tools and knowledge necessary to start and sustain a genuine conversation at a moment when the first thought is "I have no idea what to say now."

In all branches of medicine, effective communication between health care professionals and patients, families and carers is essential to ensure first-class treatment. Increasing public awareness of health issues and the ready availability of health information have led the public to be more widely informed about common conditions and the treatments available. Patients therefore attend a medical consultation better informed so the need for improved communication skills is even greater. Skill is communication is a matter of personal ability which varies widely between individuals in the medical profession as in any other. In response, the aim of this book is to dispel the anxieties which contribute to poor communication. This book covers ethical and legal issues, planning difficult conversations, the patient's and doctor's perspectives, issues surrounding special groups such as children and the elderly, and coversations with patients from different cultural backgrounds. Outlines of possible clinical cases posing specific problems are included with guidance on how to handle them.

The 10th-anniversary edition of the New York Times business bestseller-now updated with "Answers to Ten Questions People Ask" We attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day-whether dealing with an underperforming employee, disagreeing with a spouse, or negotiating with a client. From the Harvard Negotiation Project, the organization that brought you Getting to Yes, Difficult Conversations provides a step-by-step approach to having those tough conversations with less stress and more success. you'll learn how to: · Decipher the underlying structure of every difficult conversation · Start a conversation without defensiveness · Listen for the meaning of what is not said · Stay balanced in the face of attacks and accusations · Move from emotion to productive problem solving

For patients and their loved ones, no care decisions are more profound than those made near the end of life. Unfortunately, the experience of dying in the United States is often characterized by fragmented care, inadequate treatment of distressing symptoms, frequent transitions among care settings, and enormous care responsibilities for families. According to this report, the current health care system of rendering more intensive services than are necessary and desired by patients, and the lack of coordination among programs increases risks to patients and creates avoidable burdens on them and their families. Dying in America is a study of the current state of health care for persons of all ages who are nearing the end of life. Death is not a strictly medical event. Ideally, health care for those nearing the end of life harmonizes with social, psychological, and spiritual support. All people with advanced illnesses who may be approaching the end of life are entitled to access to high-quality, compassionate, evidence-based care, consistent with their wishes. Dying in America evaluates strategies to integrate care into a person- and family-centered, team-based framework, and makes recommendations to create a system that coordinates care and supports and respects the choices of patients and their families. The findings and recommendations of this report will address the needs of patients and their families and assist policy makers, clinicians and their educational and credentialing bodies, leaders of health care delivery and financing organizations, researchers, public and private funders, religious and community leaders, advocates of better care, journalists, and the public to provide the best care possible for people nearing the end of life.

Supportive Oncology, by Drs. Davis, Feyer, Ortner, and Zimmermann, is your practical guide to improving your patients‘ quality of life and overall outcomes by integrating palliative care principles into the scope of clinical oncologic practice at all points along their illness trajectories. A multidisciplinary editorial team, representing the dual perspectives of palliative medicine and oncology, offers expert guidance on how to effectively communicate diagnoses and prognoses with cancer patients and their families, set treatment goals, and manage symptoms through pharmacological therapies, as well as non-pharmacological therapies and counselling when appropriate. Integrate complementary palliative principles as early as possible after diagnosis with guidance from a multidisciplinary editorial team whose different perspectives and collaboration provide a well-balanced approach. Effectively communicate diagnoses and prognoses with cancer patients and their families, set treatment goals, and manage symptoms through pharmacological therapies, as well as non-pharmacological therapies and counseling when appropriate. Improve patients’ quality of life with the latest information on pain and symptom management including managing side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, rehabilitating and counselling long-term survivors, and managing tumor-related symptoms and other complications in the palliative care setting. Prescribe the most effective medications, manage toxicities, and deal with high symptom burdens.

Medical interviews have changed a lot with time; in the last two decades, multiple mini interviews (MMIs) have revolutionized the assessment strategies for entrance to medical schools. MMIs usually consist of 6-10 stations of independent assessments done in a timed circuit so that the same examiner evaluates a specific skill for a station among the candidates. Many of these stations assess a candidate’s soft skills, including critical thinking, problem solving, team working, leadership and professional attitudes in addition to their knowledge, skills and motivation towards choosing medicine as a career. MMIs are not just a test of a candidate’s knowledge or skills, but their ability to use it appropriately at the right time. Aristotle said, ‘we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit’. Candidates wishing to succeed in medical MMI interviews need repetitive practice in the various stations. These stations usually include assessments on communication skills, medical ethics, recent medical facts, role play with an empathetic approach, data interpretation and calculations, scenario-based situations, personal character, motivation and judgment. This book will provide an excellent variety of opportunities to practice these stations and guide the candidate with a framework of answers. This book can be used for various medical university entrance exams, including those in the United Kingdom via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), the United States via the American Medical College Application Service (AMCA), Canada via the respective Medical School Applications Service, Australia via the specific state Tertiary Admissions Centre and many other countries via their specific admission pathways. Dr. Thanthullu Vasu has previously published four medical books alongside many chapters and articles in leading international journals. He has founded, organized and directed many teaching courses that have received excellent feedback. He regularly organizes national MMI courses for candidates applying to medical schools; these courses are in high demand and have consistently produced a successful outcome. Many of the contributors in the book are team members from the RISE Foundation Leicestershire, a charity based in Leicestershire (https://risefoundationuk.com/). All the contributors have extensive experience as examiners in many interviews and courses. The royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to the RISE Foundation Leicestershire. Thank you for buying this book, as the money will go towards helping various causes supported by this charity. We wish you much success in your interviews and your future medical career.