Biomaterial Database

The dying patient--teaching doctors to care. 1996

J M Branday

Department of Surgery, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.

This article discusses the question of teaching doctors the humanistic components of caring for the dying. The difficulties of learning in the affective domain are compounded by the modern social attitude to death, which serves to distance the caregiver from the dying patient at the time of his greatest need. Values and attitudes can be taught. Experiential learning, supported by group discussion, is an accepted and available strategy but ethical decision-making is best taught by example and suitable attitudes can only be developed by teachers who have emotionally accepted their own mortality. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of teachers, with the right attitudes and skills, who will serve as suitable role models for our students.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010817	Physician-Patient Relations	The interactions between physician and patient.	Doctor-Patient Relations,Doctor Patient Relations,Physician Patient Relations,Physician Patient Relationship,Doctor Patient Relation,Doctor-Patient Relation,Physician Patient Relation,Physician Patient Relationships,Physician-Patient Relation,Relation, Doctor Patient,Relation, Doctor-Patient,Relation, Physician Patient,Relation, Physician-Patient,Relations, Doctor Patient,Relations, Doctor-Patient,Relations, Physician Patient,Relations, Physician-Patient,Relationship, Physician Patient,Relationships, Physician Patient
D003479	Curriculum	A course of study offered by an educational institution.	Curricula,Short-Term Courses,Course, Short-Term,Courses, Short-Term,Short Term Courses,Short-Term Course
D004501	Education, Medical	Use for general articles concerning medical education.	Medical Education
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D006808	Humanism	An ethical system which emphasizes human values and the personal worth of each individual, as well as concern for the dignity and freedom of humankind.
D001293	Attitude to Death	Conceptual response of the person to the various aspects of death, which are based on individual psychosocial and cultural experience.	Attitudes to Death,Death, Attitude to,Death, Attitudes to
D012945	Social Values	Abstract standards or empirical variables in social life which are believed to be important and/or desirable.	Value Orientation,Values, Social,Value Orientations
D013727	Terminal Care	Medical and nursing care of patients in the terminal stage of an illness.	End-Of-Life Care,End of Life Care,Care, End-Of-Life,Care, Terminal,End-Of-Life Cares
D014900	West Indies	Islands lying between southeastern North America and northern South America, enclosing the Caribbean Sea. They comprise the Greater Antilles (CUBA; DOMINICAN REPUBLIC; HAITI; JAMAICA; and PUERTO RICO), the Lesser Antilles (ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA and the other Leeward Islands, BARBADOS; MARTINIQUE and the other Windward Islands, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES; VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES, BRITISH VIRGINI ISLANDS, and the islands north of Venezuela which include TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO), and the BAHAMAS. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p1330)	Caribbean Islands,Cayman Islands,Montserrat,Turks and Caicos Islands