This episode of Fixing Healthcare dives into the essential yet often misunderstood world of palliative and hospice care—part of this ninth season’s continued focus on end-of-life issues.

Our guest today, Dr. Monique Danielle Schaulis, MD, MPH, is a board-certified physician in both Emergency Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She is currently practicing at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. With extensive experience and a compassionate approach, Dr. Schaulis sheds light on the critical role of palliative care in modern healthcare.

Alongside cohosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr, Schaulis tackles common myths and misunderstandings surrounding palliative care. She explains why palliative care is not just for end-of-life situations, and how it can be integrated with curative treatments at any stage of a serious illness. She emphasizes that palliative care is a holistic medical specialty focused on improving the quality of life for patients of all ages by addressing physical, psychosocial, spiritual, and existential distress.

This episode also explores why American culture struggles with the acceptance of death and palliative care. Dr. Schaulis reflects on how historical developments in medical technology and a lack of training for physicians on end-of-life conversations contribute to this issue.  Tune in to learn more about the transformative potential of palliative care and how it can enhance quality of life for patients—and their families.

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of the book “ChatGPT, MD: How AI-Empowered Patients & Doctors Can Take Back Control of American Medicine.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post FHC #133: The many misconceptions of palliative care appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.