COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This session will explore the ethical and legal considerations surrounding end-of-life decision-making, with a focus on Florida Statute 765 and the patient’s right to transfer when requested therapies are deemed subjectively futile. We will discuss the clinical and legal implications that arise when such transfers cannot be arranged in a timely manner, including the potential obligation to continue treatment.

The lecture will also examine how we might reimagine consent processes when treatments no longer meet their intended goals, emphasizing clearer communication, shared decision-making, and alignment with patient values.

As a clinical example, we will review scenarios in which ECMO therapy transitions from a bridge to recovery or decision into what is often described as a “bridge to nowhere,” highlighting the challenges clinicians face in these complex situations.

The session is designed to be interactive, encouraging discussion and reflection on real-world cases and practical approaches to navigating these difficult conversations.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Patient-Centered Approach: Describe how to center goals-of-care discussions on what matters most to the patient—focusing on their values, priorities, and definition of quality of life rather than relying solely on clinical checklists or assumed goals.
• Empathetic Listening: Demonstrate effective communication skills by sitting with the patient, listening attentively, and allowing space for silence and reflection, recognizing that the clinician’s role is to facilitate rather than direct the conversation. 

FACULTY & DISCLOSURE

Eduardo Martinez DuBouchet, M.D. 
Medical Director Telehealth
Critical/Acute Care
Baptist Health Medical Group
Miami, FL 

Blake Delaney, JD
Counsel
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
Tampa, FL

Eduardo Martinez DuBouchet, M.D., faculty of this educational activity, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies* to disclose, and has indicated that the presentations or discussions will not include off-label or unapproved product usage.

Blake Delaney, JD, faculty of this educational activity, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies* to disclose, and has indicated that the presentations or discussions will not include off-label or unapproved product usage.

Rabbi Claudio J. Kogan, M.D., director of this educational activity, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies* to disclose, and has indicated that the presentation or discussion will not include off-label or unapproved product usage.

Driselle Sullivan, Vincent Barnovsky, Tammy Fecci, Cecilia Sone, MSN, FNP-BC, Moderators of this educational activity, have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies* to disclose, and has indicated that the presentation or discussion will not include off-label or unapproved product usage.

*Ineligible companies – Companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

Disclosure Policy and Disclaimer

ACCREDITATION

Baptist Health South Florida is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Baptist Health has been re-surveyed by the ACCME and awarded Commendation for 6 years as a provider of CME for physicians.

Baptist Health South Florida designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ each.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.   

This activity has been approved for 1 credit hours each, CE Broker Course #20-700581, by the Florida Boards of Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Board of Psychology and Physician Assistants.

This activity has also been approved for 1 credits each for Nurses and Nurse Practitioners, Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Pharmacists and Techs, Social Workers and Respiratory Therapists.. Baptist Health South Florida CE Broker Provider #50-182.