Being Mortal By Atul Gawande: Video Analysis

In the video “Being Mortal” as a doctor, Atul Gawande states, “he wished he could do better”. This video made me question the fact, why do we have to wait so long to get patients, palliative care? So many times, in our medical careers we know the end result, but we fail to guide our patients through a process based on sound decisions. We lack confidence in the ability to talk about this subject to our patients, or we do not feel comfortable. “One barrier to optimal end-of- life care is the inadequate education of health care providers regarding the management of dying patients” (Lange, 2012, p. 383). Because I work third shift I am usually the one to talk about what quality of life means to patients and so many times I have stepped up to the plate with colleagues of mine and I ask them, have you talked with the family about end-of-life

“Commonly, the nurse is the provider closet to the dying patient and his or her family and is in the best position to identify when the services of other disciplines are necessary” (Lange, 2012, p. 381). So many times, I have walked in situations, and must be the barrier of sad news and my first question is do you understand this state of condition, and most families understand but they need guidance. Just recently I tried to talk with a patient about hospice, and he flat out told me he did not want to hear anything about that because he wanted to go home. I asked if he could tell me what he knew, and his information was all wrong, and he thought he had to go to a facility to live out his last days. After I educated him on hospice care and pain control, talked with the doctor about his interest in home hospice the patient was so thankful. There must be ongoing discussions because health situations can change quickly and at this point we are trying to carry out last wishes and the type of treatment expected. When a cure is not a choice, palliative care should be brought in to help coach doctors, and staff through the dying