| Title | Defining Clinical Attunement: A Ubiquitous But Undertheorized Aspect of Palliative Care. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2021 |
| Authors | Jacobsen J, Brenner KO, Shalev D, Rosenberg LB, Jackson VA |
| Journal | J Palliat Med |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pagination | 1757-1761 |
| Date Published | 2021 Dec |
| ISSN | 1557-7740 |
| Keywords | Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing, Humans, Neoplasms, Palliative Care |
| Abstract | Attunement, the process of understanding and responding to another's spoken and unspoken needs, is a fundamental concept of human development and the basis of meaningful relationships. To specialize the concept of attunement for palliative care, this article introduces clinical attunement. This term accounts for how palliative care clinicians must repeatedly balance patients' readiness to talk about the future with the cadence of the illness and need for medical decision making. Using the case of Gloria, an example patient living with cancer, this article discusses three skills to foster clinical attunement: asking, repairing disconnections, and offering containment. It is the fourth in a series exploring the psychological elements of palliative care. |
| DOI | 10.1089/jpm.2021.0442 |
| Alternate Journal | J Palliat Med |
| PubMed ID | 34714128 |
