893 Difficult Decisions

Tune in to our radio show on your local public radio station, or sign up for the podcast and listen at your leisure. Here’s what it’s about:
Anyone who has ever received a frightening diagnosis knows that what the doctor says next may not make much sense. Just hearing that your condition is serious can send your brain hurtling through space so that you have difficulty hearing and processing the description of next steps. Yet treatment often goes better when patients participate in the decision about what to do.
How can doctors and patients overcome the barriers that keep them from clear communication? What is the best way to approach shared decision making? Dr. Peter Ubel has looked at these thorny questions from both sides of the stethoscope. He shares his thoughts.
Guest: Peter Ubel, MD, is a physician and behavioral scientist at Duke University. He is the author of several books, including You’re Stronger Than You Think: Tapping Into the Secrets of Emotionally Resilient People, and Free Market Madness: Why Human Nature is at Odds With Economics–and Why it Matters. His new book is Critical Decisions: How You and Your Doctor Can Make the Right Medical Choices Together. His website is www.peterubel.com
The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date. The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free for four weeks after the date of broadcast. After that time has passed, digital downloads are available for $2.99. CDs may be purchased at any time after broadcast for $9.99.