1. When Patients Seem Overly Optimistic
- Author
-
Jane deLima Thomas
- Subjects
Male ,Health (social science) ,Psychotherapist ,Surrogate decision-maker ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Death with dignity ,Face (sociological concept) ,organization ,Denial ,Patient Education as Topic ,Neoplasms ,organization.non_profit_organization ,Humans ,Medicine ,Risks and benefits ,Neoplasm Metastasis ,Hopefulness ,media_common ,Physician-Patient Relations ,business.industry ,Health Policy ,Bioethics ,Prognosis ,Issues, ethics and legal aspects ,Comprehension ,business ,Social psychology ,Medical ethics - Abstract
When a patient seems to have unrealistic hopes in the face of a grave prognosis, it is the clinician's responsibility to identify barriers to his or her understanding, assess reasons for continued hopefulness, evaluate the risks and benefits of more frank discussions, offer information about prognosis, and obtain a surrogate decision maker if time is short.
- Published
- 2012
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