What is it about?
Breaking bad news is somerthing all nurses will come into contact with at some point in their career. The words used can have either a negative impact or help the patient to understand and comply with recommeded treatment
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Why is it important?
The specialist nurse has the time to build a relationship with patients and their families allowing them to feel more comfortable about asking questions in order to make the right decision for them. Doctors have time constraints in clinics and the patient can refrain from asking important questions leaving them feeling confused and unable to make decisions.
Perspectives
Having been a specialist nurse for many years I often saw the effects of a patient being afraid to ask a doctor questions. This lead to them feeling angry and frustrated taking this out on the ones they love. Cancer treatments and end of life care is one of the most important times in the lives of patients. I wanted to make a difference so researched the subject to find out from patients themselves what would make the biggest difference in their treatment pathway. The answer I recieved the most was having time to ask questions and the words used making it easier to understand and make decisions. As a result of this I made it a priority to give patients the time they needed and access to a telephone helpline as often in a clinical situation people foget to ask some questions. The helpline allows them to phone and ask.
Ms Lynne Hemming
Amcare Group
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Breaking bad news: a case study on communication in health care, Gastrointestinal Nursing, February 2017, Mark Allen Group,
DOI: 10.12968/gasn.2017.15.1.43.
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