Published in:
01-07-2021 | Care | Viewpoint
Prognosis as Health Trajectory: Educating Patients and Informing the Plan of Care
Authors:
John M. Thomas, MD, Leo M. Cooney Jr., MD, Terri R. Fried, MD
Published in:
Journal of General Internal Medicine
|
Issue 7/2021
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Excerpt
When clinicians and their patients discuss prognosis, they are usually referring to the “bad news” of a decreased life expectancy associated with such conditions as cancer, heart and lung disease, or dementia. Prognosis, defined as the likely course of a disease or illness, encompasses far more than this. Patients want to know what the future holds for a broad range of conditions and the outcomes associated with those conditions. The astute clinician should always make sure to educate patients on the natural history and likely outcome of a disease or illness, to let them know what they can expect in its course. The designation doctor, after all, comes from the Latin word docere—to teach. …
