communication skills resource … oncotalk …
… an excellent on-line communication skills resource.
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vulnerability & presence on letterman …
… John Waters’ describes an “extraordinary moment” between Michael Douglas and David Letterman. “You don’t sound like you have throat cancer,” Letterman said. “Because,” replied Douglas, “I’m on stage.” But at the end of the interview there occurred an extraordinary moment. Letterman asked Douglas if there was anything, he, Letterman, could do. It did not
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cholera in haiti …
Fiammetta Cappellini writes from the scene in Haiti. “The thing that concerns us most personally is the hotbed of the epidemic at Warf Jeremie, a neighborhood of Cité Soleil in the capital Port-au-Prince, where we help with the activities of Sister Marcella. We are all shocked by the escalation of the infection. From one suspect
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jean vanier on the care of vulnerable people …
… Jean Vanier recently addressed the Canadian Parliament’s Committee on Palliative Care. ” … we are all vulnerable people. Each one of us is important, especially the weakest among us. In our vulnerability we are easily hurt¸ and we have elaborate systems of self protection which keep us from being open with each other. We
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medical research itself under the microscope …
… the Atlantic Monthly on Dr. John Ioannidis’ research on the quality of medical research – “Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science“. Ioannidis shows that over 3/4 of non-randomized and as many as 1/4 of randomized studies are wrong. “The studies were biased,” he says. “Sometimes they were overtly biased. Sometimes it was difficult to
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verdi’s requiem …
… “Giuseppe Verdi spent his life scrutinizing the human heart; in his works he shed light on the drama of the human condition with the music, the stories told and the various figures. His theatre is peopled by the unhappy, the persecuted and victims. This tragic vision of human destiny echoes throughout so many passages
compassionate honesty …
… Loprinzi and colleagues review a series of articles from the Journal of Clinical Oncology which addresses how to have difficult conversations (giving bad news, making life decisions). A recurrent theme highlights the importance of the physician working through his/her own needs and issues … eg “The article presents data from behavioral research that documents
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oregon’s experience with physician assisted suicide …
… a group of prominent British medical and legal experts has authored a report summarizing the Oregon experience with physician assisted suicide (PAS). A significant concern noted is that although early in the Oregon experience one-third of those who committed suicide received psych assessment and treatment for depression and other conditions, most recently none of
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dies irae …
… Dies iræ, dies illa, Solvet sæclum in favilla: Teste David cum Sibyllâ. That day of wrath, that dreadful day, shall heaven and earth in ashes lay, as David and the Sybil say. The Wichita Symphony Orchestra is highlighting 3 pieces this weekend that all feature the 13th century Dies Irae hymn – Liszt’s Totentanz,
terminal restlessness …
… not all moaning, twitching, agitation or other new symptoms near the end of life are due to ‘terminal restlessness’. See the summary on delirium at end-of-life. slides 7-8-9 list common things that might be going on slides 10-11-12-13 give some (non-pharmacologic) inteventions to try A common cause of new symptoms (twitching, restlessness, moaning) or
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