About this episode

The episode discusses the ethical implications of telling patients that there are no more medical options available to them.

TR is an 88-year-old man who is disabled and in chronic pain from spinal stenosis and knee osteoarthritis. He has multiple other medical issues, including coronary artery disease and COPD. He has been through years of treatment for his knees and back, including physical therapy, multiple joint injections, and an in-office procedure for spinal stenosis. He has been on multiple regimens of oral pain medications. He is not interested in surgery (and probably would not be considered a reasonable candidate if he were). He comes to a visit and asks what can be done. Sensible Medicine is a reader-supported Substack. If you appreciate our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. We are taught never to say, “There is nothing I can do for you.” We may be out of surgical or medical options, but we can always continue to care for and support our patients. This is not part of the Hippocratic Oath , but it is so integral to our training that one might think it belongs there. There are good reasons to caution doctors from saying some version of, “I am sorry, I don’t think there is anything more I can do for you.” It is true that in 21st-century medicine, the act of caring for patients…

People in this episode

Host: Sensible Medicine Authors and Editors

Topics covered

• ethics
• patient care
• chronic pain
• medical options
• hope in medicine

Keywords

• chronic pain
• patient support
• medical ethics
• treatment options
• hope

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sensible Medicine, Hippocratic Oath

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