Addressing Goals of Care: Intensive Small Group Training (P2)

Abstract

1.Respond empathically to patient's expression of emotion.2.Elicit details about the patient’s values.3.Make a recommendation about the treatment plan that best meets the patient's values. As a palliative care consultant from any professional background, discussing goals of therapy when things are not going well is the most common reason for an inpatient consult. Discussing goals of care is difficult because it requires the consultant to accomplish a number of inter-related, emotional tasks in a short period of time: give bad news, assess what is important to the patient, and make a recommendation about how to best proceed. The core skills helpful to accomplishing these tasks include: Ask-Tell-Ask, responding to emotion, and “wish” statements. This workshop will, using a mix of short didactic talks and experiential practice, help participants develop a model for handling these difficult conversations. This workshop will be unique in that learning will occur predominantly in small groups (one faculty: 8 participants) to allow participants to practice the skills, observe others, and give feedback. The groups will be multidisciplinary, led by faculty with experience in facilitation, and teach skills appropriate for all palliative care clinicians.