Bad news is any news that may drastically or negatively, or both, alter a patient's
view of the future,
1
and the breaking of bad news is a regular part of consultations in a head and neck
oncology clinic. It is a weekly task for clinicians in the multidisciplinary team
but historically is one with minimal or no training. The need to convey enough information
for the patient to be able to make an informed decision comes with a multitude of
problems: being honest without causing undue distress, liaising with family members,
the involvement of several members of the oncology team and, not least, constraints
in time. Many healthcare professionals will be involved in the future care of the
patient even if this is not the case initially.Keywords
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References
- SPIKES: a six step protocol for delivering bad news: application to the patient with cancer.Oncologist. 2000; 5: 302-311
- Breaking bad news about cancer patients’ preferences for communication.J Clin Oncol. 2001; 19: 2049-2056
- Are we there yet? The state of the evidence base for guidelines on breaking bad news to cancer patients.Eur J Cancer. 2009; 45: 2960-2966
Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 08, 2011
Accepted:
July 11,
2011
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
