Caring for the Lived Experience: An Exercise in Teaching Whole Person Care

Common medical professions’ education for whole person care of seriously ill people and their family is often lacking. The balance of educational attention to the biology of disease often far outweighs similar attention to the lived experience of the illness and personal caring. In an attempt to test and teach the lived experience a written essay survey instrument has been created and administered to new palliative care staff and family medicine residents.A summary of the participant’s responses to questions concerning ethical principles, dignity, health care desires, compassion, existential suffering, hope, grief, mindfulness, attunement, and end of life care will be shared in narrative fashion accompanied with teaching points used with participants. Third year family medicine residents’ reflections will be shared to reflect the impact of the teaching of whole person care