Art of Caring

Aiming for the Bull's-Eye: a Creative Approach to Goals of Care

David Shih Wu, MD FAAHPM

Let me tell you a story about a midcareer palliative medicine fellow I once knew. With several years of primary care practice under his belt, he thought he was pretty good at communicating with patients. But on day one of his first inpatient palliative care rotation, he found himself sitting down with the anxious and exhausted family of an ICU patient who was on life support, plunging into a discussion about life and death within a minute of introductions.