Breaking Bad News - Pointers and Pitfalls

Breaking bad news (BBN) is a frequent and challenging task for clinicians, with the majority of consultants reporting that they do so at least once a week. Whilst discussing a cancer diagnosis or approaching end of life situations is probably foremost in the mind of a medical student or junior doctor, it is unlikely that you will be asked to lead in this type of consultation at this point in your career. However, the definition of BBN is much broader. In this article Dr Mandy Barnett notes a few key pointers that will help you approach BBN consultations in your role as a junior doctor.

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