But when the news is bad, people reasonably expect a doctor to be at hand to answer the question, “What does this mean for me?” To add stress, patients are increasingly handed their results from another provider not equipped to explain their significance or download their own results without understanding what they mean.
In oncology, handling the good results is easy: most patients will gladly accept the news from a nurse and wait patiently for a doctor’s appointment.
Staring at the pictures of her liver, I ask myself how this patient in this set of circumstances might want to hear bad news.
Difficult news conveyed compassionately and sensitively doesn’t alter the facts but does change the patient experience.
Difficult news conveyed compassionately and sensitively does not alter the facts but does change the patient experience.
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