Medical knowledge about communicating bad news: a survey study

Abstract

When communicating bad news, the lack of adequate techniques can compromise effectiveness.
The objective was to evaluate the knowledge and experience of medical residents regarding the
communication of bad news. This is a survey study involving 2,418 physicians from clinical and
surgical specialties. The comparison between groups was performed using the Chi-square test, paired
difference, and analysis of variance, with a significance level of p<0.05. Overall, 90% of participants do
not feel trained to communicate bad news, and 40% have never received specific training. About 29%
are unaware of the existence of the SPIKES protocol. In the comparison between groups, candidates for
surgical programs consider themselves more skilled in communication and agree more with the circle
of silence. Most physicians do not feel skilled in effective communication. Future surgeons showed less
ability to deal with emotional situations compared to physicians in clinical specialties.