Uncertain recovery communication guide
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This new guide is to support doctors to have honest conversations with patients, and those important to them, about realistic treatment goals and uncertain recovery. We wanted to use our lived experience as palliative care physicians to share compassionate communication tips and a simple framework with some helpful concepts for starting a conversation.
This guide could be used when it has been recognised that recovery is uncertain to prepare patients, and those important to them, for potential different clinical outcomes. The conversation may progress to treatment escalation planning or a discussion about end of life care, but in some situations will solely serve to highlight the clinical uncertainty.
This guide is not intended to be prescriptive but offers a practical approach which other clinicians may find helpful in their own practice.
