When patients and families are holding on to what you don’t say, they may use combativeness and being argumentative to keep you — and your words — from bringing them to accept the unacceptable.
Grief over a loved one’s impending death may manifest as other emotions or difficult-to-manage behavior. This month’s column describes how families may express their grief as anxiety about their loved one’s care, an attempt to take control of the situation, or anger toward the clinicians involved in their loved one’s care.
A challenging patient case illustrates how caring for each other enables oncology nurses to provide better patient care.
At what point is attentiveness being too nice? Ann Brady discusses how her words followed the patient’s wishes, but her actions prompted an unexpected question.
Reflecting on the 2 meanings of this simple word helps explain the nuances of communicating with cancer patients and their families at pivotal points of care.
