When the Going Gets Tough: Navigating Dilemmas in End-of-Life Care

Families pleading "do everything"—what comes next? This on-demand session equips clinicians to summarize key ethical principles, identify responses to nonbeneficial interventions, formulate clear language amid prognostic uncertainty, and describe ways to communicate with specialists. Apply proven frameworks to reduce conflict, build trust, and lead end-of-life decisions with compassion and clarity.

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Availability

On-Demand

Expires on Apr 30, 2027

Cost

Member: $0.00

Non-Member: $55.00

Credit Offered

0.75 CME Credit

0.75 ABIM-MOC Point

0.75 Participation Credit

Overview
Faculty
Accreditation
Recommended

Learning Objectives
After completing this activity, learners should be able to:

Summarize the ethical principles underlying common dilemmas when taking care of seriously ill patients.
Identify practical approaches to being asked to "do everything" in patients unlikely to benefit from the requested interventions.
Formulate a communication strategy for counseling patients and families in the setting of prognostic uncertainty.
Describe an effective approach to working with specialist colleagues who are recommending diagnostics and therapeutics unlikely to help a seriously ill patient.

Faculty

Elizabeth Gundersen, MD, FHM, FAAHPM

Faculty Disclosures (PDF)

Faculty Disclosures
The individuals in control of content for this activity have no relevant relationships with ACCME-defined ineligible companies to disclose unless listed here. Any relevant relationships were mitigated prior to the start of this activity.

Accreditation Statement
The Society of Hospital Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CME Credit Statement
The Society of Hospital Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

MOC Credit Statement
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 0.75 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

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