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HEALTHCARE FRIENDS: there has never been a better time to completely eliminate your use of the phrase “withdraw care” from any and all interactions with patients and families forever. 1/
This unfortunate phrase is almost always deployed with families/surrogates facing easily the most difficult decision/situation of their lives and the words we use to help them navigate there matter a lot - will stay with them forever and color their experience in the moment. 2/
The problem is we are making a “fart cone” - medically we mean “withdraw life-sustaining treatments” (because they have failed/will not achieve the patient’s original or new goal) and for the surrogate we mean “transition to comfort-focused care” 3/
And of course the reality is “OUR CARE FOR YOUR LOVED ONE NEVER STOPS, but it can and should take different forms according to your loved one’s unique and individual goals of care that naturally change as their condition changes an in accord with their values.” 4/
Say it with me: “we are ALWAYS going to be aggressive in caring for your loved one, but it needs to be pointed in the right direction. As we are stopping treatments that no longer support their goal, we will be aggressive to ensure their comfort no matter what is next.” 5/
Getting this framing right may tip the balance between this being a bad memory or a recurring trauma; we have a chance to help build a narrative that helps them find peace as they begin their grieving process. It’s worth the effort to be disciplined in our speech. 6/6
