The Doctor's Art
The practice of medicine–filled with moments of joy, suffering, grace, sorrow, and hope–offers a window into the human condition. Though serving as guides and companions to patients’ illness experiences is profoundly meaningful work, the busy nature of modern medicine can blind its own practitioners to the reasons they entered it in the first place. Join resident physician Henry Bair and oncologist Tyler Johnson as they meet with doctors, patients, leaders, educators, and others in healthcare, to explore stories on finding and nourishing meaning in medicine. This podcast is for anyone striving for a deeper connection with their medical journey. Visit TheDoctorsArt.com for more information.
The Doctor's Art
Finding the Right Words When It Matters Most | Shunichi Nakagawa, MD
For many physicians, having serious illness conversations with patients — talking about a dire prognosis or the futility of curative treatments — is one of the most daunting aspects of patient care. But to palliative care physician Shunichi Nakagawa, MD, these conversations are fundamentally about communicating the honest truth in an elegant, considerate, and humane way.
Dr. Nakagawa, the director of the Inpatient Palliative Care Service at Columbia University Medical Center, joins us in this episode to discuss both his unique personal journey, as well as his insightful approach to figuring out what really matters to patients during critical moments in their lives. He shares what it was like completing his surgical training in Japan, than coming to the United States with the hope of becoming a liver transplant surgeon, before having those hopes dashed when he found out he was ineligible to work as a surgeon in the US due to his hepatitis carrier status, and finally discovering his true calling in geriatrics and palliative care.
We also discuss cultural challenges in thinking about the end of life, why it is so difficult for physicians to communicate with their patients about serious illness, how clinicians ought to approach shared decision making, and why, when done well, this can be one of the most meaningful and rewarding parts of doctoring.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
2:34 - How Dr. Nakagawa entered a career in medicine in Japan
5:33 - Dr. Nakagawa’s unique journey through medical training, from surgery to palliative care
16:25 - The three-stage process that Dr. Nakagawa follows when communicating challenging medical information to patients
28:10 - Delivering medical advice in a succinct way when speaking to patients and their family members
36:14 - Lessons on what works and what doesn’t work in sensitive patient communication
Dr. Shunichi Nakagawa can be found on Twitter/X at @snakagawa_md.
Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.
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