What not to say to patients with serious illnesses
05/05/25 at 03:00 AM
What not to say to patients with serious illnesses
Medscape; by Lambeth Hochwald; 4/30/25
Robert Den, MD, a radiation oncologist in Philadelphia, constantly reminds himself that while he’s in the ‘cancer world’ every minute of the day, his patients aren’t. “As oncologists, we may be meeting with the third patient that day with a newly diagnosed metastatic cancer, but for this individual, this is their first time hearing news like this,” Den told Medscape Medical News. That’s just one reason Den says words matter. ... [He identifies] "Five Things Docs Shouldn't Say" ...
- 'Everything is going to be okay.' ...
- 'It might be time to get your affairs in order/take that dream trip.' ...
- 'We definitely found cancer during your scan.' ...
- 'You have X months to live.' ...
- 'I wish you had done something differently.' ...