COMMUNICATION PEARLS
ETHICAL PRINCIPLE GUIDING TRUTH TELLING Autonomy: Patients have the right to choose or decline to receive information, if they have capacity and their decision is voluntary and without coercion. LISTEN ACTIVELY Use Silence , effective body language, non-verbal cues, touch. Don’t Project. Be aware of Relatedness, Transference. EMOTIONAL RESPONSES Emotional channel‒tears, laughter, “fight or flight” Cognitive channel‒focus on data, what next, e.g., prognosis. Acknowledge importance, possibly ‘park’ for later discussion. TRANSLATION When language is an issue, always use a professional healthcare translator. Do not use family to translate. Have the translator sit beside you so you both face the patient / family. Say a concise thought. Wait for the translator to translate it. Then give patient / family time to understand what was said.
Adapted from S.P.I.K.E.S. Baile WE, Buckman R, Lenzi R et al. Oncologist 2000. PMID 10964998. Used with permission. And from www.VitalTalk.com.
42 NB: These Reference Cards do not replace careful clinical judgment specific to each patient / family situation. PCIC: Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Curriculum is a collaborative effort of OhioHealth, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, USA, and other contributors. Permission to reproduce any or all of these PCIC Reference Cards is granted for non-commercial educational purposes only, provided that the attribution statement and copyright are displayed. To reproduce for all other purposes, contact Frank D. Ferris at info@pallmed.us. Copyright © Frank D Ferris 2013-2024. All rights reserved. V14.1, 2024
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