Vital Talk

Vital Talk is a non-profit organization, created and managed by physicians with the mission of creating stronger connections between patients and clinicians. The organization specializes in developing and facilitating advanced communication skills that focus on balancing honesty with empathy when discussing serious illness or end of life care.   The website can be used in two ways. For those in need of a resource quickly, there are ‘quick guides’ comprised of one-page cheat sheets.  These may be useful before a meeting or a family conference.  The ‘quick guide’ topics include: talking about dying; handling conflicts; family conference; responding to emotion and first visits. The second option, for those who have more time are the ‘Watch, read, reflect’ guides.  These have links to videos, book chapters, articles and pamphlets.  The ‘watch, read, reflect’ topics include: establishing rapport; disclosing serious illness; resetting goals of care; bearing witness to the end. To access Vital Talk, please visit http://bit.ly/1yWRmB8.