”Bhatt, 29, says having more life experience than his fellow students helped boost his confidence in discussing end-of-life issues with patients and families. Often, however, there is too little time for students to pause during rounds with physicians to listen in on and learn from these discussions, he says.

“If you haven’t had that experience in life, or even in a mock setting or through instruction, you’re going to be in a really bad place as an attending physician or resident,” he says.

Becoming a compassionate communicator is no longer another nice addition to the physician’s beside manner; it’s becoming an essential tool, says Fisch.

“With the new awareness of these issues throughout society, the bar has been raised,” he says. “The public expects physicians to do this type of communication and do it well.”

Practicing physicians can find information about end-of-life care communications issues on the Internet or medical specialty society scientific meetings.

Old says the American Academy of Family Physicians recently moved his lecture about palliative and hospice care from a breakout session to a featured lecture at its Scientific Assembly. In previous years, he felt he had to disguise his lectures as “pain management” to draw listeners.

While organized medicine, medical institutions, and individual physicians are starting to recognize the importance of end-of-life issues, it may take a grassroots effort to convince another key player — the federal government — to support more research and physician training.

“Caring for the sick and dying is as important as inventing or finding cures for the young and living,” Wollner says.

Bob Redling has written on practice management topics for more than nine years. He has been practice management editor for Physicians Practice, Web content editor and senior writer for the Medical Group Management Association, and a speechwriter for the American Academy of Family Physicians. His work has been published in Physicians Practice and MGMA Connexion. He also was a government affairs reporter for United Press International. He can be reached via editor@physicianspractice.com.

This article originally appeared in the February 2007 issue of Physicians Practice.