Palliative Care in Liver Disease: A Podcast with Kirsten Engel, Sarah Gillespie-Heyman, Brittany Waterman, & Amy Johnson

Palliative Care in Liver Disease: A Podcast with Kirsten Engel, Sarah Gillespie-Heyman, Brittany Waterman, & Amy Johnson

Author: Alex Smith, Eric Widera July 11, 2024 Duration: 51:24

In May we did a podcast on KidneyPal (the integration of palliative care in renal disease), which made us think, hmmm… one organ right next door is the liver. Maybe we should do a podcast on LiverPal? (or should we call it HepatoPal?)

On today's podcast, we do that by inviting four palliative care leaders who are integrating palliative care into the care of those with liver disease: Kirsten Engel, Sarah Gillespie-Heyman, Brittany Waterman, and Amy Johnson.

It's a jampacked 50 minutes, filled with pearls on taking care of patients with liver disease.  We cover:

  • How each of their LiverPal teams are structured

  • Why and how LiverPal differ from general palliative care or other palliative care specialty areas (KidneyPal, PalliPulm, etc)

  • How to prognosticate in liver disease and how they communicate this with patients

  • How to think about expectations of transplants and limitations of it

  • How to manage complications and symptoms ranging from ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, pain, itching, cramps, and depression

Also, if you want to take an ever deeper dive, check out our 2022 podcast on End Stage Liver Disease with Jen Lai, Ricky Shinall, Nneka Ufere, and Arpan Patel




Hosted by UCSF physicians Alex Smith and Eric Widera, GeriPal-A Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Podcast creates a vital space for conversation at the intersection of aging and serious illness care. This isn't a dry lecture series; it's a dynamic dialogue where Eric and Alex bring on leading experts to unpack the complexities of geriatric and palliative medicine. They delve into the latest research that should change practice, tackle the ethical dilemmas that provoke debate, and explore the nuanced clinical challenges that professionals face daily. The tone is engaging and often surprisingly lighthearted, with moments of humor and even the occasional song, making profound topics more accessible. Whether you're a clinician, nurse, social worker, or any professional dedicated to this field, this podcast offers a blend of evidence-based insights and practical wisdom you can use. It’s a resource that acknowledges the weight of the work while fostering connection and continued learning. For those seeking formal education credits, AMA PRA Category 1 CME and MOC credit are also available through the show. Tune in to join a community committed to improving care for older adults and those with serious illness.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

GeriPal - A Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Podcast
Podcast Episodes
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Eric and I had the pleasure of doing a GeriPal Live! Podcast as the closing keynote for the recent Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) National Assembly in Philadelphia PA. For this podcast, we invited 3 guests to e…
Pre-Operative Geri Assessment: Vicky Tang and Houman Javedan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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We love getting requests from listeners for podcast topics. This request came from geriatricians we met at the annual American Geriatrics Society meeting in Chicago. They wanted to know more about what a geriatrician sho…
Medical Billing and Coding with the "Billing Boys" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:38
A podcast on medical billing and coding??? Ok, hear us out as we were skeptical too. We've invited the Billing Boys, Chris Jones and Phil Rodgers, who convinced us of the following: Billing is complicated, but it isn't h…