When Words Hurt: The Praxis of Delivering Bad News to Patients of Healthcare Professions in South Indian Hospitals. An Explorative Study

Effective communication is a critical aspect of healthcare, impacting patient satisfaction, treatment adherence, trust, and safety, underscoring the need for continuous efforts to improve communication skills among Healthcare professionals (HCPs). However, there needs to be more evidence regarding the current state of Breaking Bad News (BBN) skills training incorporated as a curriculum in medical schools, especially in India. The current study investigated the situation of HCPs in the context of BBN. Results show that challenges faced by the HCPs are mostly reported in the context of talking about the end of active treatment, beginning of palliative treatment, and discussing the diagnosis. The majority of respondents are not receiving any training in BBN. These findings indicate the need to implement BBN communication training in undergraduate programs to address the mentioned challenges. We will discuss further implications.