Presentation on theme: "BREAKING BAD NEWS Prepared By Sherwan Sulaiman MD MSc PhD."— Presentation transcript:
BREAKING BAD NEWS Prepared By Sherwan Sulaiman MD MSc PhD
Communication: An expert in breaking bad news
Presentation on theme: "BREAKING BAD NEWS Prepared By Sherwan Sulaiman MD MSc PhD."— Presentation transcript:
BREAKING BAD NEWS Prepared By Sherwan Sulaiman MD MSc PhD
Communication: An expert in breaking bad news is not someone who gets it right every time – he or she is merely someone who gets it wrong less often, and who is less flustered when things do not go smoothly. - R Buckman
Objectives: 1.To identify why communication is important 2.To identify obstacles of communication 3.To outline general objectives and techniques of communication in healthcare 4.To address the uniqueness of breaking bad news, while reviewing techniques and approaches to breaking bad news 5.To review good vs bad communication and examples of each
Communication Objectives of communication in healthcare: – To explain medical conditions and provide essential medical information. – To uncover patient and/or family needs, often by engaging in therapeutic dialogue. – To discuss goals of care.
Communication Patients look to us for knowledge, guidance, reassurance, hope, meaning, and compassion. Patients know we have been through similar situations with other patients and look to us for guidance and what is normal.
Communication Unfortunately, the quality of communication in healthcare is often suboptimal.
Communication Studies Show: – In one study of 598 oncologists, 56% were burned out and 53% attributed this to the continuous exposure to fatal illness. (10) Communication is therapeutic!
Communication No news is not good news, it is an invitation to fear. - CM Fletcher
Obstacles to good communication Medical education doesn t teach communication. Communication involves the psychoemotional and spiritual aspects of care, with training focusing on cognitive teaching. Students are not encouraged to show emotion or feelings. Students lack experience with proper communication and have poor role models.
Obstacles to good communication (13,14) Unrealistic expectations of the healthcare system by society. Cultural differences in disclosure of information. Time limitations of medical staff and patients. Lack of trust in the medical system. Lack of experience with death.
Obstacles to good communication (13,14) Terminal conditions and dying are difficult subjects to talk about for us and for our patients. Emotions, such as fear: – Of the process of dying (symptoms, $ concerns, loss of independence/control, etc). – Of blame. – Of not having the answers. – Of not knowing how to handle emotional outbursts.
Basic Communication Skills Setting – Schedule a meeting time. – Sit at eye level and within reach of the patient. – Minimize distractions. Pager and phone off or on vibrate, door closed, ask colleagues not to disturb you, etc.
Basic Communication Skills Information exchange – Outline an agenda Why are we meeting and what should be accomplished by the meeting. – Ask open ended questions See what they understand. This helps to define a starting point for the conversation. – What do you understand about your condition/diagnosis? or What have you been told about your condition?
Basic Communication Skills Information exchange Determine how much information or how many details the patient wants to know. Recognize that the patient and family may be different in their desire of information. Avoid medical jargon or at least define terms. ***Focus should be on the patients concerns!
Basic Communication Skills Responding – Address the patients concerns. – Use nonverbal cues to demonstrate attentiveness. – Demonstrate empathy by acknowledging the patients feelings as acceptable. Ask about perceived emotions. – You seem angry? or I feel you are scared. Do you want to tell me about how you are feeling?
Basic Communication Skills Responding – Encourage and justify their emotions. – Attend to all issues and needs, including: physical, psychosocial, and spiritual. Review Objectives Summarize – Information, discussions, and decisions
Open Ended Questions What do you understand about your condition? What concerns you the most about your illness, your family, your future? How is treatment going for you/your family? What has been most difficult about being ill so far? What are your hopes, fears, or expectations in the future? What matters to you the most? When are your best times?
Responding to Patient Emotions (11) N - Name the emotion. U - Understand/normalize the emotion. R - Respect the patient and family for how they are coping. S - Support the patient so they don t feel alone. E - Explore the emotion.
Communication Hope is based on knowledge, not ignorance. What remains unspoken is unspeakable. - MA Simpson
Breaking Bad News Preparation and Setting – The meeting should be in a private place with adequate time. – Suggest a supportive person accompany the patient. – Have all information and data available.
End-of-Life Communication Empathetic body language: SOLER – Face the patient Squarely – Keep Open body position – Lean forward – Eye contact – Maintain a Relaxed and natural posture
Hope Lying We often convey a prognosis with an optimistic bias….is this best? – Studies show that the better a doctor knows the patient, the more likely the doctor is to overestimate survival. (16) – On average, physicians are wrong > 80% of the time when estimating prognosis. – The majority of these inaccuracies