Palliative Medicine

Hospital Medicine

Questions discussed in this category

How do you counsel patients who are concerned that discontinuation of certain chronic medications may actually perpetuate suffering at the end of life?

Do you ever continue medications such as rate-control agents for tachyarrhythmias, anticoagulation for blood clots, immunosuppression to prevent trans...

1 Answer available

How do you decide which IV opioid to use for symptom relief at the end of life?

1 Answer available

What are some practical tips for when a patient's consistently stated goals of care do not correlate with their actions?

For example, what do you do when someone requests aggressive, life-prolonging treatments but then is not receptive to elements of day-to-day care in t...

4 Answers available

What strategies do you find helpful in advanced care planning with patients/families who are very "miracle" centered?

For example, prolonging life-sustaining measures as they "wait for a miracle" of an unrealistic outcome.

1 Answer available

How do you recommend counseling patients on the prognosis of advanced cancer as a generalist who is not highly specialized in cancer literature or cancer-directed therapies?

2 Answers available

At what point should you consider deactivating ICDs or implanted pacemakers in patients nearing the end of life but not imminently dying?

Should we consider this as a unique point during goal of care discussions, separate from code status, comfort measures only, etc.?

1 Answer available

What is your stepwise approach to treating constipation in a patient with symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, decreased appetite, etc?

What do you start initially, and how do you go about escalating the regimen if constipation persists?

2 Answers available