title: The surgeon-patient relationship in advanced illness.
abstract: Surgeons are relatively new to palliative care, but there is a growing recognition of the contributions they can and should make. These go as much to the psychosocial support of the patient as they do to the technical aspects of their craft. The same qualities of proactivity and mastery of technique that stand the surgeon in good stead in the operating room can be acquired and mastered to make him or her equally effective in the hitherto nontraditional arenas of palliative care.
authors.affiliation: Medical Director, The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, University of New York at Buffalo, Cheektowaga, New York 14227, USA. rmilch@palliativecare.org
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Milch
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards; D012944:Social Support; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards