Modules
- Year 1
- Year 2
- Introduction to Year 2 and Year Outcomes
- Cardiorespiratory 2
- Metabolism 2
- Brain and Behaviour 2
- Human Development 2
- Human Sciences and Public Health 2
- Locomotor 2
- Cancer Week
- Moving and Handling Training
- Year 2 Lifesaver Programme
- Clinical Communication Skills
- Medicine in Society 2
- Extended Patient Contact
- Student Selected Component (SSC)
- Year 3
- Introduction to Year 3 and Year Outcomes
- Clinical Science and Professionalism (Weeks 1-3)
- Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Haematology (CR3)
- Gastroenterology and Cancer (MET3A)
- Public Health
- Endocrinology and Renal Medicine (MET3B)
- General Practice and Community Care
- Student Selected Component (SSC)
- Clinical and Communication Skills
- Year 4
- Introduction and Year 4 Outcomes
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Child Health
- HIV & Sexual Health
- Musculoskeletal
- Health Care of the Elderly
- Neuroscience
- Dermatology
- General Practice and Community Care
- Psychiatry
- Ear, Nose and Throat
- Global Health and Ethics
- Ophthalmology
- Clinical & Communication Skills
- Student Selected Component (SSC)
- Year 5
- Introduction to Year 5 and Year Outcomes
- Teaching Week 1
- Teaching Week 2
- Anaesthesia & ITU (AN & ITU)
- Breaking Bad News
- Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics
- Community Care
- Doctors as Teachers and Educators (DATE)
- Emergency Medicine (EMERG MED)
- General (Internal) Medicine (G(I)M)
- Immediate Life Support (ILS)
- Student Assistantship
- Simulation
- Surgery
- Student Selected Component (SSC)
- Year GEP 1
Year 5 : Breaking Bad News
- Prof Annie Cushing
- a.m.cushing@qmul.ac.uk
Teaching Material for this Module
Introduction
The General Medical Council specifically emphasises the importance of communication skills in the practise of medicine. Giving bad news is something you will be doing many times throughout your professional career and such preparation is essential to help you and your future patients with this difficult task.
This module allows you to practice giving bad news through case scenarios based on situations that you are likely to encounter as a junior doctor.
The overall aims are to:
To help students develop appropriate attitudes, principles and skills to enable them to break bad news to patients and their relatives effectively.
To be able to give information in ways that minimise unnecessary distress, enable people to understand the situation and make choices about their care, and facilitate the longer term adjustment of the individual in all respects, including the physical, psychological and social.
Sessions
- Breaking Bad News: Outcomes
- Describe the necessary preparations to be made so as to give bad news as well as possible.
- Describe aspects of their behaviour and the environment more generally that will influence the effectiveness in giving bad news.
- Demonstrate the skills of giving bad news clearly, honestly and sensitively in order that patients can both understand and feel supported.
- Manage own emotions and reactions and identify strategies for self-care.
- Discuss particular challenges and strategies to deal with them.
- Discuss follow up after bad news has been given
