The Jan. 19, 2021 session of Duke Medicine LEADS featured a discussion led by Jonathan Fischer, MD, "The Art and Science of Effective Family Meetings."
Palliative Care experts, Kristen Lakis, MDiv, MSW, LCSW; Rev. Artie Hendricks, MDiv, ThM, BCC; Tara Coleman, PA-C; and Delani Mann-Johnson, MD, weighed in for the diagnostic reasoning and discussion.
Here are pearls and takeaways from the session:
- Family meetings are often a process, building on previous conversations.
- Start every meeting with questions/listening; avoid information or recommendations.
- Recognize emotional cues, even when they sound like cognitive questions, and respond with Empathy (NURSES acronym)
- Ask permission before moving on to the next part of the conversation, to make sure you are all still on the same page.
- Avoid discussing treatments before exploring goals/values.
- Later in the meeting, don’t be afraid to offer recommendations, especially if you can connect recommendations to goals/values.
Duke Medicine Learning, Education, and Discussion Series (LEADS) takes place each Tuesday at 12 p.m. Learn more and see schedule of upcoming sessions.
