Never-Words: What Not to Say to Patients With Serious Illness
Engaging in sensitive, honest dialogue with seriously ill patients has become an even greater clinical challenge with the rapid progress in therapies for conditions such as advanced heart failure, cancer, and end-stage pulmonary disease. Communicating the nature, purpose, and intended duration of often complex treatments—and setting realistic expectations about what they offer—still comes up against timeless patient experiences: fear, intense emotions, lack of medical expertise, physical pain, and the sometimes unrealistic hope for cure.