End of life care needs more effort says BBC Reith lecturer
As a doctor, Atul Gawande found his medical training left him ill prepared to deal frankly with patients at the end of their lives.
The experience of asking patients what they wanted, and of confronting death in his own family, has changed his perspective.
The author, surgeon and Harvard professor is the BBC Reith lecturer this year.
He spoke to our health correspondent Branwen Jeffreys about why he thinks more effort needs to be made to improve the last stage in people's lives, and why as a doctor he supports assisted dying in limited circumstances.
This view is highly controversial, and in the UK the British Medical Association remains firmly against any kind of assisted dying as do all the major disability organisations, who argue it could place vulnerable people at risk.
You can find out more about the Reith Lectures here.
25 Nov 2014