In our third student-hosted Medicine 360 podcast, Dr Annette Welshman discusses some key issues within palliative care in an international context, How best are end-of-life decisions communicated? How important is language itself in palliative care? Is there a universal language of suffering? What different kinds of cultural, social and pharmacological barriers are there in different European countries? How are doctors to maintain the trust of those who are dying after many failed medical interventions? Dr Welshman also talks about the extraordinary life of Sue Ryder, what can be learnt from her work supporting the sick and dying, and how palliative care has developed over the last 40 years.
Dr Welshman worked for over 25 years with Lady Ryder in establishing palliative care protocols. She has implemented palliative care programmes in various countries, with very different kinds of healthcare systems. She has been Vice Chairman at the European Association of Palliative Care, and the education of medical professionals and families is one of her key concerns.
The podcast is hosted by Katie Witcher, a second-year medical student at the University of Bristol.
Those wishing to learn more about the life and work of Sue Ryder might consult the website of The Lady Ryder of Warsaw Memorial Trust or Joanna Bogle's biography, Sue Ryder: A Life Lived for Others (2022).