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
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Cleveland/Akron/Canton MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M ■ S E P T E M B E R /O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4
