Have you ever worried about
telling someone bad news in the wrong way. Is there really a good way to say
something bad? Imagine how often many doctors have to deliver bad news at
critical times in people’s lives and the serious ramifications that can follow
if they are unsuccessful in their approach. The reluctance of doing this causes
some doctors to go so far as to detach themselves from patients and avoid
breaking the news at all.
The ABCDE Plan is one strategy that provides a patient-centered
framework for doctors to deliver troubling news to patients and families.
Doctors learn how to create a safe environment, use timely communication
skills, and how to display empathy. Doctors’ personal reactions to death and
dying are also considered. With the population increase in older patients who
are terminally ill, doctors need a constructive plan for breaking bad news
appropriately.
Another strategy is used at
Montefiore Medical Center in New York. Medical interns in their first term learn how to
deliver bad news to patients through role-playing with actors. These scenarios
are followed by faculty feedback on how well the interns did delivering bad
news. They are also taught how to advise patients after the bad news is
delivered. The following video demonstrates how this is done:
Frances Shani Parker,
Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer
in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book
editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.
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