Reviews
"The book offers a remarkable treasure trove of lived experiences of clinicians from which novice and seasoned clinicians may learn and deepen their insight about end-of-life care of children."--JAMA, "Bearison takes us directly to the bedside of the seriously ill and dying children, into the hearts and minds of their parents, and into the struggle to know--and then to do--the right thing as experienced by their nurses and doctors. These stories are the truths behind the miracles of modernmedicine from the point of view of its practitioners--truths about the rebirth of hope with each new patient, about the cost of repeatedly witnessing suffering in children and their parents, about how hard it is to stay close enough to remain human but far enough to retain professional boundaries,about guilt and grief and loss when treatment fails, and then about having to get up the next day and do it all over again."--Diane Meier, Director, Lilian and Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute; Director, Center to Advance Palliative Care; Catherine Gaisman Professor of Medical Ethics;and Professor, Departments of Geriatrics and Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, "...rich, searingly honest, self-disclosing, compelling, occasionally harrowing, and always thought-provoking. There are some beautiful and moving statements, especially from nurses, and some marvelous words of wisdom from attending physicians...It is the dispassionate reporting of the sheercomplexity of conflicting issues, aspirations, and judgments about what is considered best for a particular patient and family in a particular situation that will ensure the lasting value of this book, particularly as a resource for discussion, workshops, and team-building within pediatrichematology / oncology units."--Michael M. Stevens, Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Physicians (Pediatrics), Senior Staff Specialist and Attending, Oncology Unit, The Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney, Australia, "This is a wonderful book written in a unique style. The author has managed to capture, by using actual events, the essence of the problems facing those who are taking care of children for whom treatments have failed and are slowly dying. I cant remember ever reading a book on this subject,which contains so much clear thinking, wisdom and no jargon!...[T]his book is really one that all young physicians in training should be required to read. Actually, it neednt be required as Id predict that if you read a few pages, you would realize what a great book it is."--Pediatrics, "In presenting clinician narratives, Dr. Bearison succeeds in going well beyond the usual 'sound bite' to give voice to the complexity, challenge, and drama of providing care at the end of life for children and their families. The narratives spare no detail and no emotion. Clinicians of alldisciplines and varying levels of experience working with dying children owe it to themselves to read this book. The stories, struggles, strategies, language, ways of coping, and insights revealed by these fellow clinicians are a gift, and one that can teach and guide us all."--Elaine C. Meyer,Ph.D., R.N., Director, Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills, Children's Hospital Boston, and Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, "Bearison takes us directly to the bedside of the seriously ill and dyingchildren, into the hearts and minds of their parents, and into the struggle toknow--and then to do--the right thing as experienced by their nurses anddoctors. These stories are the truths behind the miracles of modern medicinefrom the point of view of its practitioners--truths about the rebirth of hopewith each new patient, about the cost of repeatedly witnessing suffering inchildren and their parents, about how hard it is to stay close enough to remainhuman but far enough to retain professional boundaries, about guilt and griefand loss when treatment fails, and then about having to get up the next day anddo it all over again."--Diane Meier, Director, Lilian and Benjamin HertzbergPalliative Care Institute; Director, Center to Advance Palliative Care;Catherine Gaisman Professor of Medical Ethics; and Professor, Departments ofGeriatrics and Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, "This is a deeply moving, yet masterfully organized book about childrendying of fatal diseases--the impact of death on parents, doctors, and nurses.If death is the 'looming terror' of life, a child's death multiplies the terrorand the attendant sense of loss. There is no 'theory of death,' and ProfessorBearison wisely uses narrative accounts to capture the uniqueness of each deathand its human impact. What eases the suffering is humane and honestcommunication between parents and dying kids, but also between parents andmedical staff. But as Jessica Mitford once put it, 'Gracious dying is a huge,macabre, and expensive joke on the American people.' This book is requiredreading for those concerned with the 'management' of the tragic."--JeromeBruner, University Professor, New York University, "This book is truly unique in its evaluation of pediatric end-of-life care issues from the medical staff's perspective. It is of high quality and would be useful reading for all medical personnel involved in the care of a dying child."--Doody's, "This is a deeply moving, yet masterfully organized book about children dying of fatal diseases--the impact of death on parents, doctors, and nurses. If death is the 'looming terror' of life, a child's death multiplies the terror and the attendant sense of loss. There is no 'theory ofdeath,' and Professor Bearison wisely uses narrative accounts to capture the uniqueness of each death and its human impact. What eases the suffering is humane and honest communication between parents and dying kids, but also between parents and medical staff. But as Jessica Mitford once put it,'Gracious dying is a huge, macabre, and expensive joke on the American people.' This book is required reading for those concerned with the 'management' of the tragic."--Jerome Bruner, University Professor, New York University, "The new book seeks to explore previously uncharted territory: the inner workings of physicians' minds as they wrestle with the deteriorating health--and approaching death--of very ill young patients."--Folio, "This is a deeply moving, yet masterfully organized book about children dying of fatal diseases--the impact of death on parents, doctors, and nurses. If death is the 'looming terror' of life, a child's death multiplies the terror and attendant sense of loss. There is no 'theory of death,' and Professor Bearison wisely uses narrative accounts to capture the uniqueness of each death and its human impact. What eases the suffering is humane and honest communication between parents and dying kids, but also between parents and medical staff. But as Jessica Mitford once put it, 'Gracious dying is a huge, macabre, and expensive joke on the American people.' This book is required reading for those concerned with the 'management' of the tragic."--Jerome Bruner, University Professor, New York University "Bearison takes us directly to the bedside of seriously ill and dying children, into the hearts and minds of their parents, and into the struggle to know--and then to do--the right thing as experienced by their nurses and doctors. These stories are the truths behind the miracles of modern medicine from the point of view of its practitioners--truths about the rebirth of hope with each new patient, about the cost of repeatedly witnessing suffering in children and their parents, about how hard it is to stay close enough to remain human but far enough to retain professional boundaries, about guilt and grief and loss when treatment fails, and then about having to get up the next day and do it all over again."--Diane Meier, Director, Lillian and Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute; Director, Center to Advance Palliative Care; Catherine Gaisman Professor of Medical Ethics; and Professor, Departments of Geriatrics and Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine "In presenting clinician narratives, Dr. Bearison succeeds in going well beyond the usual 'sound bite' to give voice to the complexity, challenge, and drama of providing care at the end of life for children and their families. The narratives spare no detail and no emotion. Clinicians of all disciplines and varying levels of experience working with dying children owe it to themselves to read this book. The stories, struggles, strategies, language, ways of coping, and insights revealed by these fellow clinicians are a gift, and one that can teach and guide us all."--Elaine C. Meyer, Ph.D., R.N., Director, Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills, Children's Hospital Boston, and Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School "The new book seeks to explore previously uncharted territory: the inner workings of physicians' minds as they wrestle with the deteriorating health--and approaching death--of very ill young patients."--Folio "This book is truly unique in its evaluation of pediatric end-of-life care issues from the medical staff's perspective. It is of high quality and would be useful reading for all medical personnel involved in the care of a dying child."--Doody's "This book is truly unique in its evaluation of pediatric end-of-life care issues from the medical staff's perspective. It is of high quality and would be useful reading for all medical personnel involved in the care of a dying child."--Doody's "...rich, searingly honest, self-disclosing, compelling, occasionally harrowing, and always thought-provoking. There are some beautiful and moving statements, especially from nurses, and some marvelous words of wisdom from attending physicians...It is the dispassionate reporting of the sheer complexity of conflicting issues, aspirations, and judgments about what is considered best for a particular patient and family in a particular situation that will ensure the lasting value of this book, particularly as a resource for discussion, workshops, and team-building within pediatric hematology / oncology units."--Michael M. Stevens, Fellow, Royal Australasian College of Physicia
Synopsis
The narratives in this book will illustrate how clinicians coming from different professional roles speak about the biological, psychological, spiritual, and social dimensions of caring for terminally ill patients. Bearison will analyze their ways of making sense and giving meaning to their difficult experiences, unearthing common and distinct themes and issues across disciplines. The book will also identify the ways their interdisciplinary teams facilitate or hinder each others work, and to what extent greater reciprocity can be achieved in providing the highest quality palliative care., Medical care of the terminally ill is one of the most emotionally fraught and controversial issues before the public today. As medicine advances and technologies develop, end-of-life care becomes more individualized and uncertain, guided less by science and more by values and beliefs. The crux of the controversy is when to withhold or withdraw curative treatments--when is enough, enough? Political debates rage about when treatment is no longer effective; difficult cases are contested in courts; and the media devour the most sensational aspects of end-of-life care. In all this excitement and controversy, what is sadly overlooked is the extreme pressure that care of the terminally ill puts on medical staff as they deal with patients and their families and make life-or-death decisions. That pressure--the psychological strain and continuing uncertainties--is magnified when the patients are children. David Bearison looks at this controversial issue from the perspective of the medical staff caring for dying children. Not just doctors, but nurses and counselors as well. By capturing their stories--as no other book has, Bearison is able to move beyond broad, abstract ideas about end-of-life care to convey the situated contexts of such care, including the complications, disagreements, frustrations, confusions, and unexpected setbacks. In addition to a discussion of questions surrounding whether to withhold or withdraw curative treatments, When Treatment Fails explores the crucial concerns of those medical practitioners who care for dying children: education and training, relation with one another, communicating with patients and families, and finally, coping and moving on. Ultimately, the threads connecting these themes are the great costs and rewards of this difficult work, and the lessons that can be drawn from the nitty-gritty experiences of medical practitioners who struggle to find the balance between trying to defeat death and trying to provide comfort., Over 50,000 children die of medical causes each year in the U.S. and 85 percent of them do so in hospitals. While great strides have been made in palliative care, many of these children still suffer considerably in the last months of life. Studies have found that pediatricians, who often do not expect to confront death on a frequent basis, and other hospital staff typically feel inadequately trained to manage the situation and are emotionally unprepared for the death. All of the feelings associated with caring for a chronically ill child, guilt, anger, frustration, ambivalence, exhaustion, are magnified when a child's life can no longer be prolonged. When Treatment Fails will be based directly on the voices of those who care for children at the end of their lives, the doctors, nurses, social workers, pastoral counselors, and psychologists. Centered around seven cases, Bearison will elicit and record the stories of these professionals about their experiences caring for a patient. The narratives will illustrate how clinicians coming from different professional roles speak about the biological, psychological, spiritual, and social dimensions of caring for terminally ill patients. Bearison will analyze their ways of making sense and giving meaning to their difficult experiences, unearthing common and distinct themes and issues across disciplines. The book will also identify the ways their interdisciplinary teams facilitate or hinder each others work, and to what extent greater reciprocity can be achieved in providing the highest quality palliative care., Medical care of the terminally ill is one of the most emotionally fraught and controversial issues before the public today. As medicine advances and technologies develop, end-of-life care becomes more individualized and uncertain, guided less by science and more by values and beliefs. The crux of the controversy is when to withhold or withdraw curative treatments--when is enough, enough?Political debates rage about when treatment is no longer effective; difficult cases are contested in courts; and the media devour the most sensational aspects of end-of-life care. In all this excitement and controversy, what is sadly overlooked is the extreme pressure that care of the terminally ill puts on medical staff as they deal with patients and their families and make life-or-death decisions. That pressure--the psychological strain and continuing uncertainties--is magnified when the patients are children.David Bearison looks at this controversial issue from the perspective of the medical staff caring for dying children. Not just doctors, but nurses and counselors as well. By capturing their stories--as no other book has, Bearison is able to move beyond broad, abstract ideas about end-of-life care to convey the situated contexts of such care, including the complications, disagreements, frustrations, confusions, and unexpected setbacks.In addition to a discussion of questions surrounding whether to withhold or withdraw curative treatments, When Treatment Fails explores the crucial concerns of those medical practitioners who care for dying children: education and training, relation with one another, communicating with patients and families, and finally, coping and moving on. Ultimately, the threads connecting these themes are the great costs and rewards of this difficult work, and the lessons that can be drawn from the nitty-gritty experiences of medical practitioners who struggle to find the balance between trying to defeat death and trying to provide comfort.