“What is the hardest question a patient has asked you?” a medical student wonders on a ward round of dozens of patients with every manner of concern.
She has just heard a few cancer patients ask if treatment will extend their lives. A proper conversation about the goals of care and what to expect is one of the most rewarding in medicine. Then there are questions about novel items in a fast-paced world. Did I catch the news about the wonder drug in mice? What do I think about the latest clinical trial? Is the new treatment better than the old? Patients don’t mind hearing, “I don’t know” provided it is followed by, “but I will find out.” They worry when “I don’t know” sounds like “I don’t care”.
