Giving Bad News Takes Practice, Skill, Compassion
Another important thing to ask patients is, “Have the doctors told you how long you have?” An accurate prognosis will help patients and family prepare, Dr. Avery said. “You have to tell them. If you don’t, they will seek a second opinion and/or leave the long-term care setting, because no one has told them.” Less-experienced doctors and doctors who have had a long and strong relationship with a patient can be especially poor at prognostication, he said.
<[stk -1]>Be completely honest and avoid stating a precise amount of time, such as “3 months.” “I say, ‘It could be weeks instead of months,’ or ‘It could be months instead of years.’ If they ask for a more precise prognosis, tell them it’s difficult to say, because it is,” Dr. Avery said. <[etk]>
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If you still do not feel comfortable giving the patient bad news, refer the patient to someone who does.
“Call in hospice, call in palliative care. If you cannot give that bad news, you are obligated to do this,” Dr. Avery said.
