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Introduction: Breaking bad news is one of a physician’s most difficult duties. There are several studies related to the patient’s needs, but few reflect on the doctors’ experience.
Materials and method: A descriptive, cross-sectional research was carried out to study issues related to the process of delivering bad news which might act as barriers and facilitating skills from the doctor’s point of view. These issues were identified through a self-administered survey.
Results: Participant doctors use different strategies to communicate bad news to their patients. Examples of these strategies are: to be familiar with the patients’ medical history, to ensure that there is enough time, to know the patient’s caregivers and/or relatives, to determine the patient’s level of knowledge about his/her condition, to use non-technical words, to give information in small pieces, to assess the patient’s understanding, to devise a joint action plan, among others.
Conclusion: The communication barriers that were identified focused on the emotional issues of the communication process, particularly those related to the recognition of own emotions, and the limited training about communication strategies available to doctors. Consequently, there is a need to implement training programs that provide doctors with tools to facilitate the bad news communication process.

Enna Catalina Payán, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

Supporting Professor, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Psychologist, Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe, Medellín, Colombia.

David Andrés Montoya, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

The Children’s Neuro-psychology Center, Medellín, Colombia.

John Jairo Vargas, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

Pain and Palliative Care Group Coordinator, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Pain and Palliative Care specialist, Instituto de Cancerología, Medellín, Colombia.

María Clara Vélez, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

Professor and researcher of the Pain and Palliative Care Group, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia.

Alfonso Castaño, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

Professor and researcher of the Pain and Palliative Care Group, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia.

Alicia Krikorian, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

Professor and researcher of the Pain and Palliative Care Group, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia.
Payán, E. C., Montoya, D. A., Vargas, J. J., Vélez, M. C., Castaño, A., & Krikorian, A. (2009). Barriers and facilitating communication skills for breaking bad news: from the specialists’ practice perspective. Colombia Medica, 40(2), 158–166. https://doi.org/10.25100/cm.v40i2.638

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