Journal of palliative medicine
-
Death and dying remains a taboo topic in many social settings, and is underrepresented in health profession training. This report describes the use of the Death Café model as a forum for engaging students in discussion of death and dying with their peers and other health professionals. ⋯ Twenty-four participants from five disciplines participated in discussions, reported positive experiences, and desired to learn more about issues surrounding death and dying. Findings from this event suggest that this approach may be useful for institutions seeking to provide additional learning opportunities for students and/or healthcare professionals on palliative and end-of-life care in a supportive and enabling context.
-
Endometrial cancer incidence has been increasing over the last two decades, likely due to the obesity epidemic. The majority of these cancers are confined to the uterus at diagnosis and can be cured with surgery. Overall, five-year disease-specific survival is about 80%, but some patients have locally advanced or metastatic disease that is not amenable to control with radiation and/or chemotherapy. ⋯ As these calls increase, palliative care clinicians will likely increasingly comanage patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. We brought together a team of gynecologic oncology and palliative care experts to assemble practical tips for the care of women with endometrial cancer. In this article, we use a "Top 10" format to highlight issues that may help palliative care physicians understand a patient's prognosis, address common misconceptions about endometrial cancer, and improve the quality of shared decision making and goals of care discussions.