Teaching breaking bad news in a gyneco-oncological setting: a feasibility study implementing the SPIKES framework for undergraduate medical students

• Published in: BMC medical education 2024-02, Vol.24 (1), p.134-134, Article 134
• Main Authors: Zemlin, Cosima, Nourkami-Tutdibi, Nasenien, Schwarz, Pascal, Wagenpfeil, Gudrun, Goedicke-Fritz, Sybelle
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Basic Skills; Beliefs; Breaking Bad News; Communication; Communication in medicine; Communication Skills; Core curriculum; Cultural Background; Feasibility Studies; Feasibility study; Gynecology; Humans; Job Satisfaction; Likert Scales; Medical education; Medical students; Obstetrics; Oncology; Patients; Physician and patient; Physician Patient Relationship; Physician-Patient Relations; Physicians; Professional Education; Professional Training; Questionnaires; Resistance (Psychology); Self evaluation; Seminars; Skill Development; Skills; SPIKES protocol; Student Attitudes; Student Experience; Students, Medical; Study and teaching; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Training; Truth Disclosure; World Views
• ISSN: 1472-6920; 1472-6920
• DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05096-9

It is a crucial task for physicians to deliver life threatening information to patients (breaking bad news; BBN). Many aspects influence these conversations on both sides, patients, and doctors. BBN affects the patient-physician relationship, patients' outcome, and physicians' health. Many physicians are still untrained for this multi-facetted task and feel unprepared and overburdened when facing situations of BBN. Therefore, any faculties should aim to integrate communication skills into their medical curricula as early as possible. The SPIKES protocol is an effective framework to deliver BBN. Aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and obstacles of a BBN seminar and its acceptance and learning curve among undergraduate medical students. 158 2nd year undergraduate medical students attended a compulsory BBN seminar. The task was to deliver a cancer diagnosis to the patient within a patient - physician role-play in a gyneco-oncological setting before and after a presentation of the SPIKES protocol by the lecturer. The students evaluated important communication skills during these role-plays respectively. Self-assessment questionnaires were obtained at the beginning and end of the seminar. Most students indicated that their confidence in BBN improved after the seminar (p