How Doctors Tell Patients They're Dying/Being Mortal

 First response

            As the loved one, when I see that the medical condition of my patient is deteriorating I feel anxious, depressed, anger, fatigue, losing appetite and loneliness. As a normal human being, I start developing negative thoughts, I feel helpless and I have no joy at all. I expected my loved one to improve his medical condition but it seems like things are not good since the condition is deteriorating. As the doctors tell us openly and honestly that the condition is getting worse, I feel disheartened.  I thought the illness is treatable since most hospitals' culture is set toward ‘cure' but in our case, there is no hope of improvement and recovery is uncertain. Rather than expecting false hope from the doctor, I appreciated whatever the doctor said, we build trust and accepted the reality.

Second response

 As the caregiver, I believe that the act of communicating with the patient and the loved one about the deteriorating condition is the most stressful experience.  Breaking the bad news is a very sensitive matter that needs special skills and courage. At this moment, I do not rely on the knowledge gained in the medical school but I use my own experience to inform them that the patient needs end-of-life care. As a physician, I feel that the patient and the loved one will find it hard to believe the bad news but I need compassion and kindness to help them accept the reality.  As the condition deteriorates, I have the role and responsibility to help the family member face the reality.  At this point, I find it a horrific circumstance and a terrible thing disclosing the bad news to the family. I feel distressed but at the same time, I need to gain strength and courage to deliver the news in an empathetic and professional manner.  As a professional, I need to let the family know that death is an inevitable part of life.