Category: News
A framework to improve surgeon communication in high stakes surgical decisions
This online course prepares surgeons to navigate conversations that involve choosing between surgery and other treatment options. The curriculum is specifically tailored to help clinicians articulate the best, worst and most likely outcomes of interventions to help patients choose between surgical and non-surgical options for treatment.
Sometimes, physicians must let patients and their families know about a severe illness or injury, a cancer diagnosis, a poor prognosis, the occurrence of unwanted and significant side effects, the ineligibility for a clinical trial or transplant, sudden and unexpected death; other times, they’re telling patients the treatment or surgery they thought may work has failed, and it’s time to begin preparing for end-of-life care.
Read the ACS Bulletin here.
On this episode we talk about an extremely important topic – end of life care and decision making. We are lucky to be joined by Dr. Gretchen Schwarze, Associate Professor of Vascular Surgery at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Dr. Schwarze is the creator of the Best Case Worst Case tool, an incredibly useful resource. The Best Case Worse Case tool helps improve communication between older patients and their surgeons so that patients can avoid unwanted treatment and make decisions that align with their values, preferences, and goals. As most of our listeners know, these conversations are not easy. Tune in and learn how to do better.
Dr. Atul Gawande discussed the Best Case/Worst Case framework with Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert Podcast. Listen to the segment where they discuss BC/WC below or check out the full podcast episode at this link.
Join host Dr. Red Hoffman as she interviews Dr. Gretchen Schwarze, a vascular surgeon, medical ethicist and prolific researcher known for her work focused on surgical buy-in and the best case/worst case scenario. Gretchen is an endowed professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She completed a fellowship in medical ethics at the MacLean Center for Medical Ethics. She is a nationally recognized expert in surgical decision making, informed consent, advance directives and end-of-life care and her research focuses on improving communication between older patients and their surgeons so that patients can avoid unwanted treatment and make decisions that align with their values, preferences and goals. Gretchen defines the concept of surgical buy-in and explores how this concept manifests differently for various patients and various procedures. We discuss the ethics surrounding Do Not Resuscitate orders in the OR and the importance of clearly establishing the goals of surgery (prolonging life, improving quality of life, making a diagnosis or preventing a disability) before operating. Finally, Gretchen explains the Best Case/Worst Case decision aid and notes the importance of both eliciting preferences and making recommendations when using this aid. I learned so much from speaking with Gretchen; she helped me to articulate many of the ethical dilemmas I struggle with when taking care of many of my surgical patients.
Listen to the Podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at www.redhoffmanmd.com!
Learn more about Best Case/Worst Case!
Dr. Schwarze discussed the effects of COVID-19 on non-coronavirus patients with WORT news public affairs director Chali Pittman. Listen to the discussion using the player below or on the WORT FM Website.
Dr. Schwarze was interviewed by Caroline Chen for this ProPublica article. You can read the full article here.
The surgeons “expressed significant emotional reaction,” including “betrayal, unhappiness, disappointment,” Schwarze reported. They felt that there was an implicit contract that patients entered into when signing up for surgery. One surgeon put it this way: “There is a commitment made by both the patient and the surgeon to get through the operation, as well as all of the post-operative issues that come up.” While acknowledging that they were being “paternalistic” and contradicting the patient’s directives, several of the surgeons in the study said they would refuse to withdraw life support in Schwarze’s scenario.
Dr. Schwarze was featured in this New York Times article about the post-operative care of frail older patients. In the article, she discusses The Patient Preferences Project’s Question Prompt List Intervention that can help patients ask meaningful questions when deciding if surgery is right for them. You can read the article here.
Dr. Schwarze was a guest on the GeriPal Podcast to discuss advance care planning before major surgery. Check out the episode using the player below or on the GeriPal Website!