Courageous Conversations Series

Bravely Discussing End-of-Life Realities, Wishes, and Goals

Our healthcare system is increasingly focused on giving voice to patient concerns about the importance of determining goals of care. This is critically important as it addresses both patient autonomy as well as appropriate use of medical resources. Advance care directives can be useful tools to guide care as patients become sicker, but are only as effective as the conversations that precede, support, and infuse the documents. These conversations are not easy and are often approached lightly or even completely avoided. This series, Courageous Conversations, provides insights and strategies that can allow for effective, factual, and compassionate dialogue, whether it involves delivering bad news or providing guidance at the end of life.

Course Presenter

Kevin Dieter M.D. FAAHPM is a 1985 graduate of Northeastern Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), and is currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine at NEOMED as well as serving as a Medical Director of the Hospice of the Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio.. He is board certified in both Family Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and became a fellow of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Academy in 2009.

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