Giving Patients Autonomy During Difficult Conversations

A new patient-reported outcomes tool is helping to shift the way end-of-life and depression-related conversations are occurring between patients with multiple myeloma and their health care teams, according to Joshua Richter, M.D., a hematologist/oncologist specializing in multiple myeloma at the John Theurer Cancer Center.

The tool guided patients to rank their depression and anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure), and provided meaningful insight on patients who are ready to go to palliative care or end their treatment. End-of-life discussions are never easy, but this helped to give the patient more autonomy in the conversation.