Assessing Physicians’ Performance When Telling the Truth to Patients Diagnosed With Cancer Publisher



Shahi F¹ ; Emami SAH¹ ; Shirazi M^{2, 3} ; Mokhtari S⁴ ; Moghimi M⁵ ; Gohari S⁶ ; Rad ZA⁷ ; Mansouri R^{1, 5}
Source: Journal of Advances in Medical and Biomedical Research Published:2021

Abstract

Background & Objective: Breaking bad news to patients, especially those diagnosed with cancer, is one of the challengeable issues in the field of medicine. Hence, this study was designed to assess physicians' performance as well as importance of their training on how to deliver bad news to patients diagnosed with cancer. Materials & Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study assessed physicians’ performance in delivering bad health-related news to patients. A total of 12 hematologists and oncologists from Imam Khomeini Hospital and Shariati Hospital in Tehran, Iran were included in the study. A questionnaire including six statements (SPIKES model) was used to evaluate the performance of physicians. The time of breaking the cancer diagnosis news to patients by the physicians and educational records were evaluated with the average score of the physicians related to each statement. Results: There was no significant difference between the statements and age or gender (P>0.05); but there was a significant correlation between ending the discussion (conversation), summarizing the content, and using the word cancer” during the conversation (P<0.05). Additionally, there was a significant correlation between the time spent on informing the patient about the cancer diagnosis and concluding the discussion and summarizing the statements (P<0.05). Conclusion: Guidelines introducing the most harmless methods for delivering bad news with minimal negative effects on the patients’ mental health can be helpful for the medical staff. As a result, they can fulfill this critical task with less stress and minimum complications for the patients. © 2021, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services. All rights reserved.