Palliative Matters Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow

Prognostication is not an exact science. So, when patients ask the inevitable question, “How much time do I have, doc?” How can we answer? In this episode, Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow reflect on the challenge of prognostication and how they leverage their years of experience to try and provide patients with the gift of time.

In this episode, Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow are joined by palliative care chaplain Cody Hufstedler. Cody has a podcast of his own, Dying to Tell You, where he interviews people nearing the end of life. With the doctors, he shares some of the joys, sorrows, and beauty he has uncovered while helping terminally ill patients and their loved ones work through some challenging realities. Listen to the episode, and be sure to check out Dying to Tell You at dttypodcast.com

For each diagnosis, there is an expected path that the disease will take. But along that path are many offshoots of possibilities, known and unknown. Amid the uncertainty, how can providers manage expectations and continue to build trust with their patients? In this episode, Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow discuss how they operate in the realm of uncertainty when patients and their loved ones are often looking for finite answers.

When someone is given a life-altering diagnosis, change is inevitable. Disease can take away so much from a person: their identity, their power, their abilities. In this episode, Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow discuss how they help patients regain some of their power and agency, with Dr. Mulder touching on his own experiences from when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness and the effect the journey had on him.

Most doctors understand that establishing trust is an important part of caring for their patients. But how does one go about doing so? In this episode, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow discuss how they work towards earning the trust of their patients, starting with making sure they feel seen and heard. Listen to learn more about how the doctors form symbiotic relationships with those in their care.

Helping patients and their loved ones make decisions is one of the greatest challenges of being a physician. But it’s also one of the greatest responsibilities. To kick off Season 3, Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow discuss how they build trust with their patients through collaborative communication, education, and empowerment—centered on an understanding of their patient's values and belief systems.