5月23日に初めてのズームでの講義を医学生対象に行いました。日米比較をしながら、アドバンスケアプラニングの重要性、そして医師がどのようにその過程に関わっていくのかお話しました。新型コロナウイルスの例のように、死が予想できず突然持たされることもあります。重篤になった時に、自分が望む医療を受けるためにも、それを家族と話しておくのが、さらに重要となる時代になりました。

 

All of us are experiencing firsts this year. This one happens to be my first ZOOM lecture! I spoke to a group of Japanese medical students on May 23^rd about the importance of Advance Care Planning (ACP) in our post Covid-19 world. Sharing current data from the United States and Japan, I discussed several ways physicians can be actively involved in the end-of-life (EOL) planning process. Covid-19 has shown bright light on this important yet unaddressed problem.  When death is sudden and imminent, the responsibility for making medical decisions falls upon unprepared family members and physicians. Without the ability to communicate and absent ACP instructions, the dying patient can’t provide guidance regarding their wishes for EOL care. ACP is an opportunity for all of us to discuss and share important EOL issues and how we can best protect them.