Death And Doctors

Something I sense has changed a great deal during the course of my ministry of 30+ years is doctors' willingness (or not) to give frank prognoses or to be straightforward about death. One can understand that they would not wish to be wrong -- anyway, this is about the change. I sense that there is a greater tendency for doctors to say today: "We'll move him to Hospice until he's better," or: "I'm a doctor because I'm an optimist," or: "We'll postpone her operation and reassess." OBSERVATION: However, I sense that it is not only doctors who have changed, but patients and their families, too. It may be far more difficult for doctors to broach prognoses or death today. The course of diseases, too, has of course changed. (This post is about a tendency, by no means universal amongst doctors).