January 18, 2023 1-4 PM ET
When we or those we love face serious, life-threatening illness, we have to make many personal and medical decisions that can be frightening, difficult, and confusing. Compassionate and clear conversation is the key to easing confusion & fear, and ensuring that decisions about care reflect what matters most to patients.
We know that individuals who have conversations with their clinicians about their values, goals, and wishes are more likely to receive the care they want, feel less distress, and report better quality of life. However, only a third of patients in the last year of life report having these conversations and, often, they happen too late in the course of illness to fulfill their most important wishes. The Serious Illness Care Program was created by a team of palliative care experts at Ariadne Labs to address these challenges. At the center of the program is the Serious Illness Conversation Guide, which offers clinicians language to ask patients about their goals, values, and wishes. The guide is one element of a multi-component program creating system-level support for clinicians to have these important conversations with their patients.
Target Audience
This activity is intended for clinicians & other healthcare providers.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:
- Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the components of the Serious Illness Conversation Guide
- Use the guide to enhance communication skills in a clinical setting through practice
- Reflect on their own strengths and challenges in using the Guide
- Realize a more confident and comfortable talking experience with patients and their families about serious illness and palliative care
Additional Information
Serious Illness Care Program - Ariadne Labs & Mass General Brigham
Eric Fromme, MD, MCR, FAAHPM - Course Director
Director, Serious Illness Care Program - Ariadne Labs
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Jo Paladino, MD
Palliative Care Physician, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Associate Director, Ariadne Labs
Amanda Murphy, RN
Clinical Implementation Specialist, Serious Illness Care Program - Ariadne Labs
Disclosure Summary of Relevant Financial Relationships
Given the non-clinical subject matter of this course, there is nothing to disclose regarding faculty financial relationships.
In support of improving patient care, Mass General Brigham is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Credit Designation Statements
AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM
Mass General Brigham designates this live activity for a maximum of 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nursing
Mass General Brigham designates this activity for 2.00 ANCC contact hours. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Available Credit
- 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
- 2.00 Nursing Contact Hours
- 2.00 Participation