The clinician/healer must both address the disease and seek to know how the medical condition is being experienced by the patient—what impact it has on his or her life and spirit.
Barriers to effective prognosis conversations include knowledge deficits, misconceptions, cultural differences, and lack of motivation. These can be addressed head-on by good communication interventions.
AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(8):E757-765. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2018.757.
This digital still from a narrated animated portrait depicts a woman overwhelmed by her body’s failure and by a health care system’s failure to care well.
AMA J Ethics. 2021;23(8):E658-659. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2021.658.