How to Have an End of Life Discussion

Delivering difficult news to a Veteran is never easy —especially in matters of life and death. Many providers may not have been taught how to handle these delicate conversations. Learning a strategy on how to have such a conversation can help deliver information accurately and compassionately. This training demonstrates how to deliver difficult news with compassion. We recommend using an approach that follows the acronym: S-P-I-K-E-S., which stands for “Setting”, “Perception”, “Invitation”, “Knowledge”, “Empathy” and “Strategy”. In this program, you will watch a physician use the SPIKES protocol with a Veteran nearing the end of her life.