TY - JOUR T1 - The decision to engage in end-of-life discussions: a structured approach for doctors in training JF - Clinical Medicine JO - Clin Med SP - 468 LP - 471 DO - 10.7861/clinmedicine.10-5-468 VL - 10 IS - 5 AU - Rory Conn AU - Philip A Berry Y1 - 2010/10/01 UR - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/10/5/468.abstract N2 - Engaging in end-of-life discussions is a major source of anxiety for doctors in training. The authors propose the use of a decision-making model to assist trainees and their clinical supervisors in such situations. Divided into ‘patient-centred’ and ‘physician-centred’ components, the model ensures that the following aspects are analysed: patient and family safety, patient and family choice, physician competence and physician comfort. A real but historical end-of-life scenario is presented to a foundation year 1 doctor, and the particular risks of engaging in a discussion are subsequently clarified with reference to each of the model's components. ER -