The WRONG Way

• Focus on Your Problems. 
• Avoid Meeting with Patient, family, friends, staff.
• Don’t consult with the Bioethics committee.
• Communicate by phone, not in person. 
• Don’t answer phone calls from the family. 
• Meet in a noisy environment, with many distractions. 
• Arrange to be paged during the meeting.
• Schedule meetings when you’re under stress. 
• Be distant. Use medical jargon. 
• Discourage questions. Interrupt family/patient frequently. 
• Ignore religious or cultural sensitivities. 
• Make unrealistic promises. 
• Delegate discussions of painful issues to nurses, social workers, clergy. 
• Don’t discuss durable power of attorney for health care with your patients, or your own family.