From telling a patient they're going to die to talking to a patient who's ignoring medical advice, doctors have many difficult discussions doctors with their patients, so the American Medical Association is launching a new podcast series to help physicians, residents and medical students navigate them .
The AMA announced the series called, “AMA Doc Talk,” in which physicians, ethicists, patients and academics will review topics such as talking to a patient about a rare disorder or working with patients who have chronic disease.
“In TV and in movies, doctors always seem to strike just the right tone in the most trying situation," AMA President David O. Barbe, M.D., said in the announcement.
"But in real life, when it comes to telling a patient she is dying or that he has dangerous misconceptions about vaccines or antibiotics, delivering news delicately is not as simple as reading a script,”
These conversations are "one of the many unique challenges facing physicians, and we are hopeful that this podcast series will help them feel better prepared when the moment comes,” Barbe added.
The series is hosted by Rajesh S. Mangrulkar, M.D., associate dean for medical student education at the University of Michigan Medical School.
Season one will include six episodes that offer doctors’ real-world solutions. The first two are already online; the third episode posts Jan. 23. The AMA plans to release a new episode each week.