Assessing the Training Needs Regarding ‘Breaking Bad News’ amongst Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Professionals in Pune India

Objective The aim of the study was to investigate knowledge of breaking bad news (BBN) among medical personnel in the emergency medical services (EMS). Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 148 individuals employed in EMS. An interview was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Results Of study participants, 89.2% were not aware of any formal BBN procedure and 58.1% had not participated in any form of training. Compared with males, females were more likely to report that dealing with the emotional state of the family or the patient was the most difficult aspect of BBN. Only a few participants were aware of the SPIKES protocol for BBN, and none knew what the acronym meant. Sex, educational level, occupation, work experience and workplace were not associated with knowledge of BBN procedures. Conclusions Knowledge of BBN in both male and female EMS staff was insufficient. EMS personnel held different opinions about the method of BBN. Even staff who have participated in specific BBN training or have extensive professional experience were pessimistic about BBN skills in self-assessments.

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Psychological Resilience towards COVID-19 amongst Emergency Medical Professionals in Pune (India)

Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International ◽

10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i42a32379 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 17-24

Author(s):

Parag Rishipathak ◽

Shrimathy Vijayraghavan ◽

Anand Hinduja

Keyword(s):

Emergency Medical Services ◽

Well Being ◽

Medical Services ◽

Medical Professionals ◽

Psychological Resilience ◽

Breaking Bad ◽

Stressful Environment ◽

Emergency Medical ◽

Work Routine ◽

One Year

Aim: The surge of COVID 19 infection across the globe has put tremendous pressure on Healthcare Professionals worldwide. Emergency Medical Professionals are first responders and hence bear the brunt of exposure to the virus as well as dealing with critically ill patients. The aim of the study is to assess psychological resilience towards COVID 19 amongst Emergency Medical Professionals. Study Design: Descriptive Study. Place and Duration of Study: Symbiosis Centre for Health Skills, Pune in April 2021. Methodology: The study was conducted amongst 120 Emergency Medical Professionals in Pune, India. The data was collected during the month of April 2021. Professionals who have completed Post Graduate Diploma in Emergency Medical Services and working in COVID centres for at least one year were included in the study. A 38-item questionnaire was developed for frontline Emergency Medical Professionals and included questions adapted from the tools which are available in public domain. Results and Discussion: Working in a stressful environment along with continuous fear of self-exposure and risk of transmission to family members affects the efficacy and productivity of Emergency Medical Services Professionals. Debriefing, training for effective ‘breaking bad news’ stress management workshops and counselling sessions should be integrated into their work routine to enhance their psychological capacity. Conclusion: The findings indicate that even after a year of serving COVID 19 patients, Emergency Medical Professionals demonstrate a high degree of resilience. Yet there are areas requiring improvement which need to be focussed upon immediately in the interest of the mental well-being of Emergency Medical Professionals.

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Neurologists’ current practice and perspectives on communicating the diagnosis of a motor neurodegenerative condition: a UK survey

BMC Neurology ◽

10.1186/s12883-021-02062-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Eleftherios Anestis ◽

Fiona J. R. Eccles ◽

Ian Fletcher ◽

Jane Simpson

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Current Practice ◽

Good Practice ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Clinical Work ◽

Training Needs ◽

Bad News ◽

Breaking Bad News ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Breaking Bad

Abstract Background The communication of a life-changing diagnosis can be a difficult task for doctors with potential long-term effects on patient outcomes. Although several studies have addressed the experiences of individuals with motor neurodegenerative diseases in receiving this diagnosis, a significant research gap exists regarding professionals’ perspectives, especially in the UK. This study aimed to assess UK neurologists’ current practice and perspectives on delivering the diagnosis of a motor neurodegenerative disease, explore different aspects of the process and detail the potential challenges professionals might face. Methods We conducted an anonymised online survey with 44 questions, grouped into four sections; basic demographic information, current practice, the experience of breaking bad news and education and training needs. Results Forty-nine professionals completed the survey. Overall, participants seemed to meet the setting-related standards of good practice; however, they also acknowledged the difficulty of this aspect of their clinical work, with about half of participants (46.5%) reporting moderate levels of stress while breaking bad news. Patients’ relatives were not always included in diagnostic consultations and participants were more reluctant to promote a sense of optimism to patients with poorer prognosis. Although professionals reported spending a mean of around 30–40 min for the communication of these diagnoses, a significant proportion of participants (21–39%) reported significantly shorter consultation times, highlighting organisational issues related to lack of capacity. Finally, the majority of participants (75.5%) reported not following any specific guidelines or protocols but indicated their interest in receiving further training in breaking bad news (78.5%). Conclusions This was the first UK survey to address neurologists’ practice and experiences in communicating these diagnoses. Although meeting basic standards of good practice was reported by most professionals, we identified several areas of improvement. These included spending enough time to deliver the diagnosis appropriately, including patients’ relatives as a standard, promoting a sense of hope and responding to professionals’ training needs regarding breaking bad news.

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