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Surgeon and Writer - Atul Gawande

How should doctors think and talk about death?

When a dying person asks their doctor if he or she can do anything to help, is it easier for the doctor to provide a false hope than have a difficult conversation about how best to manage their last days? Hardtalk speaks to Atul Gawande, who wants to change the way doctors think - and talk - about death. It is a subject he covers in the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s annual Reith Lectures this year. He says doctors are good at addressing specific individual problems or diseases, but argues that the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life - all the way to the very end.

(Photo: Atul Gawande. Credit: Tim Llewellyn/ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½)

23 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Wed 5 Nov 2014 13:05GMT
  • Wed 5 Nov 2014 20:05GMT

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