Perception of a Physician’s Skills and Practices in Communicating Bad News in a Fourth-Level Hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14422/rib.i28.y2025.003Keywords:
health communication, breaking bad news, physician-patient relations, medical educationAbstract
The communication of bad news in medicine is a skill developed through practice, but one which is rarely taught formally in medical curricula. Understanding these skills and practices is crucial for improving the physician-patient-family relationship and for humanizing medical care. This cross-sectional descriptive study surveyed 396 physicians from a fourth-level university hospital in Bogotá, Colombia, to assess their perceptions of their skills and practices in delivering bad news. The study found that bad news was mainly delivered by more experienced physicians. Discussing catastrophic diagnoses or the exhaustion of curative options was perceived as the greatest challenge. Although most physicians considered themselves skilled in delivering bad news, many lacked a formal protocol. Effective communication of bad news requires both exposure and formal training, highlighting the need to include this topic in medical curricula
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Copyright (c) 2025 Mónica Manrique Díaz, Fritz Eduardo Gempeler Rueda, Diana Carolina Estrada Cano, Andrea De León-García, Diana Carolina Moreno Ormaza
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