Breaking the Bad News to Patients: Dental Students’ Perception and Practice – A Cross Sectional Survey
Background: Bad news refers to a circumstance where an individual’s mental or physical health is at risk, and they experience a sense of hopelessness. Breaking bad news to a patient with a life-threatening condition or serious health issue can be distressing, especially when the clinician lacks expe...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Indian Academy of Oral Medicine and Radiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jiaomr.jiaomr_376_24 |
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| Summary: | Background:
Bad news refers to a circumstance where an individual’s mental or physical health is at risk, and they experience a sense of hopelessness. Breaking bad news to a patient with a life-threatening condition or serious health issue can be distressing, especially when the clinician lacks experience. Most healthcare professionals develop this skill through observation and experience without any formal training.
Objectives:
To evaluate the perception and practice of breaking bad news among dental interns and postgraduate students.
Methods:
This cross-sectional survey was carried out involving an entire batch of 76 dental interns and 59 postgraduate students in the dental department between September and November 2023. A modified, predesigned, pretested, semi-structured questionnaire with a Likert’s rating scale was used for this survey through Google Forms.
Results:
Only 36.80% of dental interns and 45.80% of postgraduate students agreed clinicians are the primary deliverers of bad news to patients. Additionally, 63.20% of dental interns and 55.90% of postgraduate students felt that specific teaching/training was necessary for breaking bad news.
Conclusion:
Continuing educational programs or integrating the skill of breaking bad news into the curriculum is a way to empower all healthcare professionals. |
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| ISSN: | 0972-1363 0975-1572 |