May the common clinical conversation be used to explore whether or not seri
ously ill patients want to talk about possible limitations of Life support?
In order to answer this question, a series of 20 seriously ill patients to
ok part in an interview. The clinical conversations were taped and transcri
bed, and recurrent themes were identified and organised into categories. Af
ter talking about their diagnosis and prognosis, most patients said it was
natural to talk about possible limitations of life support, and a substanti
al number immediately indicated that they did not want any life-sustaining
treatment. Although their emotional reactions were different, no one seemed
to be upset by talking about such issues. Many but not all patients said t
hat they wanted a family member and possibly also a nurse to participate in
the conversation. Every doctor learns to conduct a clinical conversation a
nd this approach may be applied when talking with seriously ill patients ab
out difficult treatment decisions.