Ed note: How should we talk to each other when there is serious life-threatening illness. This article is for clinicians, but how about talking to a fellow resident or loved one? What is your approach? Please comment.
A new article in Mayo Clinic Proceedings identifies “never words” that clinicians should not speak to patients. The list includes:
- “There is nothing else we can do.”
- “Withdrawing care.”
- “Circling the drain.”
- “Do you want us to do everything?”
- “Fight” or “battle.”
In another study specific to cancer care, clinicians were asked for words or phrases they would never use with a patient, with the top results including:
- “Let’s not worry about that now.”
- “You failed chemo.”
‘“Let’s not worry about that now’ is not only a non-answer to a patient’s legitimate concern, it’s dismissive.” And patients do not fail chemo; chemo fails patients.