Communicating bad news: a neglected need?

Authors

Abstract

Communicating bad news is an essential tool in medical practice, but the undervaluation of its teaching
can turn it into an additional source of suffering for patients. This study analyzed landscape and the
experiences of medical students regarding the communication of bad news, based on responses to an
electronic questionnaire administered to 54 final-year students. Among them, 46.2% reported lack of
practical scenarios that would enable developing this skill, while only 11% rated their communication
as good or very good; 33% had no training for such situations; and 55.5% had only observed other
professionals breaking bad news. These findings highlight a serious undervaluation of this topic in
medical education, as evidenced by the small number of students trained for this task and the limited
number of those who practiced communicating bad news during their training.

Author Biographies

Robson Gabriel Xavier Pinheiro, Universidade Federal do Pará. Belém/PA, Brasil.

Robson Gabriel Xavier Pinheiro – Graduado – robsongxavier@gmail.com
0000-0002-7124-4534

Luis Felipe Ferreira Carneiro, Universidade do Estado do Pará, Belém/PA, Brasil.

Luis Felipe Ferreira Carneiro – Graduado – llipecarneiro@gmail.com
0009-0008-8090-5921

Amanda Gabriele Alves Cobiniano de Melo, Universidade Federal do Pará. Belém/PA, Brasil.

Amanda Gabriele Alves Cobiniano de Melo – Graduanda – amandacobiniano@gmail.com
0009-0001-6772-2660

Fernanda Oliveira, Universidade Federal do Pará. Belém/PA, Brasil.

Fernanda Oliveira de Oliveira – Graduanda – deolifernanda@gmail.com
0009-0000-7209-0656

Mayara de Andrade de Andrade Moratto, Universidade Federal do Pará. Belém/PA, Brasil.

Mayara de Andrade Moratto – Graduanda – mayara.moratto@gmail.com
0009-0009-0121-5330

Williams Fernandes Barra, Universidade Federal do Pará. Belém/PA, Brasil.

Williams Fernandes Barra – Doutorando – ajuru2@gmail.com
0000-0001-8954-4212

Vol. 33 (2025): Continued publication

Published:

2025-04-15

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-803420253811PT

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How to Cite

1.
Xavier Pinheiro RG, Ferreira Carneiro LF, Cobiniano de Melo AGA, Oliveira F, de Andrade Moratto M de A, Barra WF. Communicating bad news: a neglected need?. Rev. bioét.(Impr.). [Internet]. 2025 Apr. 15 [cited 2025 Jul. 1];33. Available from: https://revistabioetica.cfm.org.br/revista_bioetica/article/view/3811

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