CP-ADV-201:
Dr. Raj Henry

Advocating for a Brain Death Evaluation

Dr. Raj Henry is the attending physician caring for Linda Sellers, a 42-year-old woman hospitalized following an overdose who has demonstrated absent brainstem reflexes for two days. Dr. Henry has informed the family that there is nothing more medically to offer and has recommended withdrawing ventilator support and transitioning to comfort care, but a formal brain death evaluation has not been ordered. Linda is hemodynamically unstable and would require stabilization before a reliable clinical brain death examination and any necessary ancillary testing could occur. Dr. Henry believes further testing is unlikely to change what he already considers clinically apparent and questions whether the additional time and resources are warranted. Confident in his clinical judgment and protective of his professional autonomy, he approaches further discussion about formal testing with skepticism and impatience.

CHALLENGES
  • Navigate Dr. Henry’s resistance to completing a formal brain death evaluation when he believes the clinical outcome is already clear.
  •  Address Dr. Henry’s workload, time, resource, and patient-stabilization concerns without undermining his clinical expertise or autonomy.


LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  • Advocating for a formal brain death evaluation without appearing to challenge a physician's clinical competence
  • Navigating conversations with a physician who feels micromanaged or second-guessed
  • Distinguishing, in conversation, between a physician's clinical impression and a family's need for a formal diagnosis
  • Recognizing and gently surfacing unstated barriers (workload, hemodynamic instability, time) without accusing the physician of avoidance
  • Reframing the request around the patient's and family's rights rather than around procedure or policy alone
Program

Clinical Partnership

Target Audience

Donation Advocates; Hospital Development / PAL

Scenario Type

Hospital Partnership

Clinical Context

Brain Death

Registry Status

Unknown

Difficulty

4

Experience Level

Advanced

Emotional Intensity

Moderate

Essential
Sim
Elements

Meet the simulation speaker

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Dr. Raj Henry

Hospital Partnership, Attending Physician
Dr. Raj Henry is an experienced attending physician caring for a critically ill patient whom he believes has no potential for neurological recovery. He questions the value of completing a formal brain death evaluation when he considers the outcome clinically apparent and is managing significant time and resource demands.
PO Box 1409, Erie, CO, 80516-1409
Phone number: 866-433-4276
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