SGIM 2024: Enhancing Serious Illness Conversations
Publication Date: September 10, 2024
In May 2024, the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) held its annual conference in Boston! Our very own Carine Davila, with several other colleagues, hosted a standing-room-only workshop called “Best Practices in Serious Illness Communication for Patients from Historically Marginalized Backgrounds.” Using patient case studies, attendees engaged directly with learning how to elicit communication and decision-making preferences, consider the impact of historical racialized trauma, and develop new skills for partnering with interpreters to support individuals who speak a language other than English.
The workshop attendees discussed the social determinants of health, cultural aspects, and trauma that may affect patients and how it changes the approach to serious illness conversations. Kudos to the workshop organizers for leading such important work: Carine Davila, Karen Bullock, Raul Benavides, Paige Barker, and Susan Merel.
P.S. Also, a shout out to Carine for being named a 2024 AAHPM Research Scholar!