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Surgeon and Writer - Atul Gawande

How should doctors think and talk about death?

When a dying person asks their doctor if he or she can do anything to help, is it easier for the doctor to provide a false hope than have a difficult conversation about how best to manage their last days? Hardtalk speaks to Atul Gawande, who wants to change the way doctors think - and talk - about death. It is a subject he covers in the 成人快手's annual Reith Lectures this year. He says doctors are good at addressing specific individual problems or diseases, but argues that the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life - all the way to the very end.

(Photo: Atul Gawande. Credit: Tim Llewellyn/成人快手)

23 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Wed 5 Nov 2014 13:05GMT
  • Wed 5 Nov 2014 20:05GMT

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