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Communicating Effectively

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Neuropalliative Care

Abstract

High quality communication is a key component in the care of patients with neurologic illness. A teachable skill just like other procedures in medicine, good communication can reduce patient and family distress as well as reduce clinician burnout.

Learning and practicing high quality communication skills is fundamental throughout the course of an illness. Patients and families desire excellent communication from the time a clinician makes a diagnosis through assisting patients and families with changing social roles and complex treatment decisions and when they consider choices near the end of life.

This chapter outlines key principles of good communication that are fundamental to providing high quality palliative care. Using clinical cases, we discuss some general and three core communication skills that all neurologists should aim to master; these include (1) delivering serious news and attending to emotions with empathy; (2) discussing prognosis and understanding the informational needs of the patient; (3) exploring goals of care by mapping patient’s values and preferences with both patient’s and their surrogate decision-makers.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Palliative and Supportive Care, Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky, College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, USA

    Jessica M. McFarlin MD

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    Joshua S. Barclay MS, MD

Authors
  1. Jessica M. McFarlin MD
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  2. Joshua S. Barclay MS, MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jessica M. McFarlin MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Washington Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA

    Claire J. Creutzfeldt

  2. Professor of Neurology, Chief Neurology Supportive and Palliative Care Section, Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Benzi M. Kluger

  3. Professor and Edward A. and Alma Vollertsen Rykenboer Chair, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA

    Robert G. Holloway

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McFarlin, J.M., Barclay, J.S. (2019). Communicating Effectively. In: Creutzfeldt, C., Kluger, B., Holloway, R. (eds) Neuropalliative Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93215-6_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93215-6_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-93214-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-93215-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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