BrainWaves #62 Giving bad news badly

MedLink Neurology Podcast is delighted to feature selected episodes from BrainWaves, courtesy of James E Siegler MD, its originator and host. BrainWaves is an academic audio podcast whose mission is to educate medical providers through clinical cases and topical reviews in neurology, medicine, and the humanities, and episodes originally aired from 2016 to 2021.

Originally released: July 18, 2017

When it comes to discussions on patient prognosis, it's easy to give bad news. But doing this well, and doing this with tact, is not so easy. It takes poise and preparation and much more experience than you might have previously thought. Dr. Mike Rubenstein shares his approach in this installment of BrainWaves.

Produced by James E Siegler. Music by Andy Cohen, Little Glass Men, and Axeltree. Voiceover by Erika Mejia. BrainWaves' podcasts and online content are intended for medical education only and should not be used for clinical decision-making.

REFERENCES

Baile WF, Buckman R, Lenzi R, Glober G, Beale EA, Kudelka AP. SPIKES-A six-step protocol for delivering bad news: application to the patient with cancer. Oncologist 2000;5(4):302-11. PMID 10964998

Fallowfield L, Jenkins V. Communicating sad, bad, and difficult news in medicine. Lancet 2004;363(9405):312-9. PMID 14751707

Ptacek JT, Eberhardt TL. Breaking bad news. A review of the literature. JAMA 1996;276(6):496-502. PMID 8691562

We believe that the principles expressed or implied in the podcast remain valid, but certain details may be superseded by evolving knowledge since the episode’s original release date.