Challenging Conversations: DNA-CPR and Treatment Escalation Plans

A half day interactive workshop for senior doctors, advanced nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, charge nurses and other senior health professionals working within NHS Lanarkshire. Participants will work in a small peer group and address communication challenges drawn from their own clinical practice and educational roles.  Particular focus will be on initiating conversations about deteriorating health, people’s priorities and plans for future care such as hospital treatments options, DNA-CPR and Treatment Escalation Plans.

Overview

We look at effective ways to help people think and plan ahead. Clinicians need to be able to talk about emergency treatment and care planning (e.g. Treatment Escalation Plans and ReSPECT), goals of care, and planning for care around dying, including DNACPR discussions.

The RED-MAP framework supports these conversations.

Learning outcomes

In this advanced clinical communication workshop participants will:

• Communicate sensitively and effectively with people and those close to them about serious illness, stopping treatment, deteriorating health and DNACPR
• Respond to anger, distress, collusion and other complex emotions
• Communicate information about risk clearly and effectively with a wide range of patients and families.
• Communicate the benefits and limitations of treatment in a balanced way.
• Manage patients and families who have unrealistic expectations of treatment and outcomes.
• Use decision aids to support effective communication and complex shared decision-making
• Respond to complaints about clinical decision-making and consent