End-of-Life University Ep. 466 Listening to Patients Near the End of Life with Christina Gomez MD
Learn about a book of quotes gathered by a compassionate oncologist from deep conversations with her patients.
My guest Dr. Christina Gomez is a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is the author of the book Stopped in My Tracks: A Physician’s Collection of Cancer Patients’ Quotes, which she discusses today. She shares her approach to talking with patients about difficult end of life issues, including referring them to palliative or hospice care and the value of listening deeply to her patients. Learn more at her website:
This episode includes:
- Why Dr. Gomez started to collect the words of her cancer patients
- What it feels like to be the bearer of hard news for patients
- Honoring the patient’s choice for how much they want to know about their prognosis
- How quickly options are changing for novel cancer treatments and what constitutes “realistic hope”
- Why we need to bridge the divide between oncology and palliative care to ensure that patients can access all the care they need and want
- The gift of targeted therapies in prolonging life with cancer
- How Dr. Gomez avoids giving patients false hope and focuses on what is really possible
- Treating the whole person, not just the cancer and why no one “loses the battle”
- Learning about the present moment from patients
- The retreat Dr. Gomez is hosting October 11-12 for patients, providers, caregivers on the cancer journey
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Retreat – Stopped in My Tracks: A Weekend of Reflection and Healing – October 11-12, 2024
- Get EOLU Podcast Merch here
- Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here
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