MDNews - Minnesota

News Breaking Bad DELIVERING DIFFICULT, LIFE-ALTERING INFORMATION IS AN UNAVOIDABLE HAZARD OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. STUDIES IN RECENT YEARS HAVE SHED LIGHT ON THE TRAINING, PERCEPTIONS AND APPROACHES PHYSICIANS HAVE AS BEARERS OF BAD NEWS. HERE ARE A FEW REVEALING FIGURES. By Colin Stayton 1.5 AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYS IN MEDICAL SCHOOL ALLOTTED TO TRAINING STUDENTS ON HOW TO BREAK BAD NEWS + Fifty–90 percent — Range of terminally ill patients who desire full disclosure of their diagnoses + In a 2012 survey of postgraduate residents in Pakistan, 85 percent reported feeling either "not comfortable" or "somewhat comfortable" breaking bad news. In the same study, 19 percent of residents said they would withhold bad news from a patient on the insistence of family members, even if the patient wished to be informed. + Thirty-seven percent of physicians say they would provide full disclosure to patients requesting survival estimates. + Forty-two percent of physicians report experiencing stress for several hours up to three or more days after bearing bad news. + Thirty-fi ve — Average number of times per month an oncologist gives bad news to patients + Eighty-four percent of physicians do not say the word "cancer" when disclosing a cancer diagnosis to a patient, according to one study. Breakdown of training modules reported to be helpful by emergency medicine residents in a 2010 study: Simulation (43 percent) Roleplay (14 percent) Lecturing (7 percent) All training modules (36 percent) 43% 36% 14% 7% Sources: American Family Physician; The Lancet; Journal of Pakistan Medical Association; Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock; Los Angeles Times CORE ++++++++++++++++++ + +++ + +++ ++++++++++++++++++ DATA VAULT ❯ 2 6 | Minnesota MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M

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