Delivering Serious News

Last Reviewed: October 29, 2019

What You’ll Learn

Assess patient and/or caregiver understanding of serious illness diagnosis and trajectory
Get permission to share news
Communicate serious news clearly
Confirm patient and family understanding of serious clinical news
Acknowledge and respond to emotional reactions from patients and families

What You’ll Earn

Only CAPC members who are logged in can earn the following free Continuing Education Credits:

0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
Case Management: 1.00 CE
Nursing: 1.00 CNE
Social Work: 1.00 CE (NYSED)
Social Work: 1.00 CE (NASW)

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Tools & Resources

Communication Phrases in Palliative Care

MEMBERS ONLY

Last Updated: April 18, 2023

Phrases to use when talking to members/patients and their families about prognosis, advance care planning, and quality of life.

Delivering Serious News: Key Takeaways

MEMBERS ONLY

Last Updated: August 16, 2021

Stepwise approach for conversations with patients about serious news. Center to Advance Palliative Care and VitalTalk.

VitalTalk - Quick Guides

Last Updated: January 29, 2019

One-page guides with actionable tips for conversations with patients with serious illness. Free to download, print and share with others.

view

Talking with Patients About Hospice

Last Updated: February 2, 2021

This resource lists step-wise tips to foster comfortable, productive dialogue for ‘the hospice conversation’.

view

Empathetic Responses Guide

MEMBERS ONLY

Last Updated: November 21, 2022

This resource provides practical samples of empathic responses to use in conversations with patients and families, as well as template responses to challenging questions. Developed by VitalTalk.

Course Directors

Course Faculty

Constance Dahlin, MSN, ANP-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, FAAN. Consultant, Center to Advance Palliative Care.

Andrew E. Esch, MD, MBA. Consultant, Center to Advance Palliative Care.

Lynn Hallarman, MD. Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of Palliative Medicine, Stony Brook University Hospital.

Jaime Goldberg, MSW, LCSW, ACHP-SW. PhD student, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work.

Philip Higgins, PhD, LICSW. President, Lighthouse Counseling of Salem, Inc.

Lynn Hill Spragens, MBA. President and CEO Spragens & Associates, LLC.

Jay R. Horton, PhD, ACHPN, FNP-BC, MPH, CENP. Director of Nursing Safety, Quality, and Performance Improvement Mount Sinai Hospital. Assistant Professor Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Khadidjatou Kane, MD. Oncology Hospitalist, Assistant Professor of Hospital Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Lolita Melhado, MSN, ARNP, FNP-BC. Family Nurse Practitioner/Palliative Care, Gulf Coast Medical Center - Lee Memorial Health System.

Bridget Montana, MSN, APRN, FPCN, MBA. Hope HealthCare Services, Chief Operating Officer.

Colleen Mulkerin, MSW, LCSW. Director Palliative Care Consult Service, Hartford Hospital.

Drew Rosielle, MD, FAAHPM. Palliative Care, Fairview Health Services, University of Minnesota Medical School.

David Weissman, MD. President, Palliative Care Education, LLC.

Peer Reviewers

Amy Case, MD, FAAHPM. Associate Professor of Oncology, Chair, Department of Supportive Care.*

Melissa Bakar, MD. Assistant Professor, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.*

Sivan Ben-Moshe, MD. Fellow, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Sachin Kale, MD. Fellow, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Katie Wang, MD. Fellow, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

*indicates ABIM Peer Reviewer

Contact information: For answers to frequently asked questions about CAPC courses, read the Online Course FAQ. For technical questions about course activity, email membership@capc.org. For questions about continuing education credits, contact 201-957-0077.