Dealing with Death, finding light in darkness - Dr Nicholas Herodotou

Having to deal with death daily, Dr Nicholas talks about his remarkable experiences as a palliative medicine consultant. Sharing people's needs and fears whilst dying reveals a deeper meaning to life, and forgotten values are highlighted. He outlines the importance of honesty and compassion when announcing to patients that they will die. He also explains the difference between treatment withdrawal, euthanasia, and assisted suicide. This is one of those podcasts that concerns all of us facing the vivid truth of death. 

Dr Nicholas Herodotou is a Palliative Medicine consultant with 14 years of specialist experience. He is currently working in Luton & Dunstable NHS Hospital, private practice OSD healthcare, and One Healthcare hospitals. He is also an honorary lecturer at UCL Medical School and was awarded a 'Top Teacher' award by the students. 

Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/MedConceptions

Timestamps 
0:00 Coming up on this episode 
0:35 Intro 
1:40 What is Palliative Medicine? 
5:45 Withdrawing treatment
8:13 Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide 
12:43 Existential Crisis
13:55 Am I going to die, doctor? 
14:55 Shocking patient incident
18:30 What makes people want to die? 
20:55 Artificial feeding tubes 
24:49 Having the Capacity to make decisions 
29:18 Incorporate your patient's beliefs
33:20 How do you cope with your patients' deaths? 
37:15 Advice for Medical Training 
40:08 How and why I went into Palliative care 
43:18 Do I take my work home? 
47:19 How do you know if someone is dying? 
48:45 Lighter Questions 
51:16 Learning to live in the Present

*Disclaimer: The information provided is no substitute for professional medical advice. No liability is accepted as a consequence of any actions taken by any individual in response to this podcast. It is strongly recommended that you independently verify any interpretation of this material and if you have a medical problem that you see your doctor or another medical professional.

Med Conceptions Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/MedConceptions

Chapters

• 0:00 Coming up on this episode
• 0:00 How do you know if someone is dying?
• 0:35 Intro
• 1:40 What is Palliative Medicine?
• 5:45 Withdrawing treatment
• 8:13 Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
• 12:43 Existential Crisis
• 13:55 Am I going to die, doctor?
• 14:55 Shocking patient incident
• 18:30 What makes people want to die?
• 20:55 Artificial feeding tubes
• 24:49 Having the Capacity to make decisions
• 29:18 Incorporate your patient's beliefs
• 33:20 How do you cope with your patients' deaths?
• 37:15 Advice for Medical Training
• 40:08 How and why I went into Palliative care
• 43:18 Do I take my work home?
• 47:19 How do you know if someone is dying?
• 48:45 Lighter Questions
• 51:16 Learning to live in the Present