7/15/2015 – How to talk about death before it’s too late

Physicians are trained to cure, so conversations about a patient’s final days can be difficult. But they’re vital. Twenty-eight percent of Medicare dollars—about $170 billion annually—are spent during a patient’s last six months of life, often on futile treatments that lead to suffering.

That’s why many medical schools are including palliative and hospice care—which helps patients deal with the symptoms and anxieties of a chronic or serious illness—within their curriculum.

While the field has grown in recent years, most health care facilities lack access to specialists trained to navigate such illnesses. The patient, even in the last months of their life, is still his or her own best advocate.

Read the full article at Futurity.