Be aware that delivering bad news is stressful. If you have had a stressful day, check in with your colleagues who are supportive and discuss the issue with them.
Ensure that you have adequate time to spend with the patient.
Be aware that you may experience strong emotional responses (fear, anger, sadness) yourself.
Recheck all the facts; review the reports; talk to the involved experts ( oncology, pathology etc) and get your facts straight
Identify items on your agenda:
What are you planning to tell the patient?
What are you hoping to accomplish by the end of the meeting?
Preparing the patient:
Determine who should be present at the meeting.
Be aware that some patients live alone and have no family and friends. These patients are especially vulnerable to the stressful after effects of receiving bad news.
Be aware that some patients may lack capacity to understand the medical information and make decisions.
Patients from different cultural background may not speak or understand English. In such cases, please ensure that you have a trained professional interpreter available. It is not a good practice to have family members serve as interpreters.
Preparing the setting:
Find a private and quiet place for the meeting.
Make sure that everyone has a place to sit as feasible.
Turn pagers to a vibration mode during the meeting.
Have paper napkins/tissue available ( as patients may get very tearful)
Make sure that the participants introduce themselves.
