scholarly journals Breaking bad news to cancer patients in times of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Hauk ◽  
Jürg Bernhard ◽  
Meghan McConnell ◽  
Benny Wohlfarth
Keyword(s):  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Bad News ◽  
World Health ◽  
Breaking Bad News ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Breaking Bad ◽  
Adjustment To Illness ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractBreaking bad news is a mandatory provision in the professional life of nearly every physician. One of its most frequent occasions is the diagnosis of malignancy. Responding to the recipients’ emotions is a critical issue in the delivery of unsettling information, and has an impact on the patient’s trust in the treating physician, adjustment to illness and ultimately treatment. Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, several measures of social distancing and isolation have been introduced to our clinical setting. In the wake of these restrictions, it is important to reexamine existing communication guidelines to determine their applicability to face-to-face counseling in the context of social distancing, as well as to new communication technologies, such as telemedicine. We address these issues and discuss strategies to convey bad news the most empathetic and comprehensible way possible.

scholarly journals TP8.1.11 Discussing results and breaking bad news in breast video consultations: a pilot questionnaire

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nader Touqan ◽  
Nabila Nasir ◽  
Kate Williams ◽  
Maria Bramley ◽  
M Shamim Absar
Keyword(s):  
Chest Wall ◽  
Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Breast Surgery ◽  
Bad News ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Breaking Bad News ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Breaking Bad ◽  
Management Plans

Abstract Aim Virtual consultations (VC) in Breast Surgery have become well-established during the COVID pandemic. They are successfully utilised in routine follow ups and low-risk new referrals. We aimed to assess the utility of VC in more complex clinical discussions. Methods We collected feedback anonymously via electronic link from 20 consecutive patients who specifically had more challenging video-VC including: 12 diagnostic MDT results (10 patients received bad news of new cancer diagnosis, 2 had benign results); 6 post-operative wound checks with therapeutic MDT outcomes; 2 new consultations for chest wall reconstruction. Results The time saved by patients was between 1 and 3 hours (median=2). All patients felt that booking and joining a VC was either very easy (12) or easy (8). 18 patients were satisfied with the quality of sound and picture and all 18 felt they were able to communicate everything to the clinician during their VCs. Compared to a face-to-face consultation, 14 patients felt that VC was better (70%), 4 felt it was similar (20%) and 2 thought it was worse (10%). Most received comments were themed around VC had allowed patients to get their results, discuss their management plans and ask questions while they were safely at home with other family members, at times when COVID restrictions applied to outpatient clinical settings. Conclusion VC may be utilised selectively to provide complex consultations including discussing results, breaking bad news and wound inspections. Qualitative studies in this field can be beneficial.

scholarly journals Breaking Bad News: A Valid Concern among Clinicians

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gelareh Biazar ◽  
Kourosh Delpasand ◽  
Farnoush Farzi ◽  
Abbas Sedighinejad ◽  
Ali Mirmansouri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skill ◽  
Bad News ◽  
Breaking Bad News ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Breaking Bad ◽  
Delivering Bad News ◽  
Environmental Supports ◽  
The Way

Objective: Delivering bad news is the duty of specialist physicians. However, they find it very difficult due to insufficient experience. In this study, the way faculty and residents of Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS) delivered bad news to the patients was investigated. Method: This study was conducted at hospitals affiliated to GUMS during 2017. A questionnaire containing 18 items on environmental and psychical support was filled through a face to face interview. The first 10 questions evaluated psychical support and the next eight environmental supports. The scoring of each question ranged from 10 to 50, with 10 indicating “never” and 50 “always”. Results: According to the analysis of 235 questionnaires, only 32 (13.6%) of the participants had been taught to deliver bad news and 195(83%) felt they need educational courses. Also, 40 (17%) believed that they had enough ability to deliver these massages. No significant differences were observed among physicians who had taken teaching courses in breaking bad news to patients. Conclusion: This study revealed that educational courses to improve physicians’ communication skill to break bad news to patients are strongly warranted.

scholarly journals Training for difficult conversations and breaking bad news over the phone in the emergency department

2020 ◽  
pp. emermed-2020-210141
Author(s):  
Anna Collini ◽  
Helen Parker ◽  
Amy Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Bad News ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Breaking Bad News ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Breaking Bad ◽  
Difficult Conversations ◽  
Stressful Task

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been strict limits on visitors to hospitals. This has led to clinicians having an increasing number of difficult conversations with patients and their relatives over the phone. There is a lack of published literature examining how to do this well, but it is recognised that phone communication does differ from face to face interactions, and requires specific training. What is most important to patients and their families when receiving bad news is privacy, adequate time without interruptions, clarity and honesty when delivering the information, and an empathetic and caring attitude. Much of the work done on breaking bad news has been done in oncology and focusses on face to face interaction; there has been an assumption that this is transferrable to the emergency department, and more recently that this is applicable to conversations over the phone. Multiple educational interventions to improve the delivery of bad news have been developed, with differing frameworks to help clinicians carry out this stressful task. Simulation is widely used to train clinicians to break bad news, and has solid theoretical foundations for its use. The psychological safety of participants must be considered, especially with emotive subjects such as breaking bad news. We believe there is a need for specific training in breaking bad news over the phone, and developed an innovative simulation-based session to address this. The training has been well received, and has also highlighted the need for a space where clinicians feel able to discuss the emotional impact of the difficult conversations they are having.

scholarly journals Breaking cancer diagnosis news remotely during the Covid pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 205141582110001
Author(s):  
Babbin S John ◽  
Joshila Bhudoye ◽  
Mark F Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Bad News ◽  
Breaking Bad News ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Breaking Bad ◽  
The Future ◽  
Cancer Specialists ◽  
Cancer Clinic

Breaking bad news is challenging in most circumstances, and informing a patient that they have a cancer diagnosis more so. Therefore, most patients have a face-to-face meeting with their doctor to get their cancer diagnosis with many advantages to this method. The SARS-Covid pandemic has forced cancer specialists to change their approach to giving cancer news and telemedicine is being utilised more than ever before. We describe the satisfaction outcomes of a series of patients who were given their cancer diagnosis by telephone during the pandemic. Our evaluation shows that cancer diagnosis can be safely given over the telephone and moreover the results can be used to design a bespoke cancer clinic of the future. Level of evidence: 4

Barriers to breaking bad news among medical and surgical residents

2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Dosanjh ◽  
Judy Barnes ◽  
Mohit Bhandari
Keyword(s):  
Bad News ◽  
Breaking Bad News ◽  
Breaking Bad ◽  
Surgical Residents
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