Serious Illness Conversations:
Improving Patient Care at End of Life
You are the expert on the illness; your patient is the expert on their own life.
When patients are experiencing serious illness—and perhaps approaching end of life—combining your medical skills with a solid understanding of what is important to your patients allows you to plan for the best care possible, together.
Sometimes this can be more challenging than it seems but, like other skills, how to gain this understanding can be learned, and your skills will improve over time with practice and support.
You want to help your patients and those who care for them in the best way possible. The Center for Advancing Serious Illness Communication is here to provide you with the training, skills and resources to help you provide the highest quality of care for your patients by ensuring the care you deliver is concordant with your patient’s goals.
“Whenever serious sickness or injury strikes and your body or mind breaks down, the vital questions are the same: What is your understanding of the situation and its potential outcomes? What are your fears and what are your hopes? What are the trade-offs you are willing to make and not willing to make? And what is the course of action that best serves this understanding?”
~ Atul Gawande / Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
The Center for Advancing Serious Illness Communication is a joint project of the Minnesota Medical Association and the Minnesota Hospital Association.
Funding for this project is provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, as part of their long-term commitment to improving the health of Minnesota communities, and ensuring that all people have opportunities to live the healthiest lives possible.
