INFO:

Breaking Bad News in Pediatric Care: How to Communicate Bad News to Parents Regarding their Child Breaking bad news to patients or to their family members is one of the most difficult responsibilities in the practice of medicine. Medical school offers little formal training in how to discuss bad news with patients and their families. Breaking bad news about life-threatening and possibly terminal conditions is a crucial part of paediatric care for children in this situation. Communication can have a positive or negative effect on their parents’ perceptions of the decision-making process. It is important to understand how communication of bad news concerning children with life-threatening conditions might be improved to better suit the needs of parents and children. Lack of sufficient training in breaking bad news is a handicap to most physicians and health care workers. Adherence to the principles of client-centered counseling is helpful in attaining this skill. Fundamental insight of the patient is exploited and the bad news is delivered in a structured manner, because the patient is the one who knows what is hurting him most and he is the one who knows how to move forward.