Evaluation of surgeons' skills in breaking bad news to cancer patients based on the SPIKES protocol in multiple medical centers at Taif city, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Alnefaie, Sahar; Filfilan, Nuha Nabeel; Altalhi, Ebtehal Amer; Juaid, Raghad Sayer Al; Aljuaid, Noura D.; thobaiti, Raghad Abdulrahman Al; Almerdas, Hend Osamah; Althobaiti, Ghadi Fawaz

doi:10.24911/ijmdc.51-1603221074

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Bad news delivery can be influenced by culture-bound attitudes, religious values, and medical traditions [ 35 ]. In comparison to the United States [ 36 ], research in Brazil [ 37 ], Sudan [ 38 ], Saudi Arabia [ 39 ], and Korea [ 40 ] revealed a higher rate of bad news transmission to the family rather than directly to the patients, and families are heavily involved in the patient’s decisions. In this study, the most common barrier to giving bad news was concern about controlling the patient’s emotions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-assessment of residents in breaking bad news; skills and barriers

Mansoursamaei,

Ghanbari Jolfaei,

Zandi

et al. 2023

BMC Med Educ

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Introduction Breaking bad news (BBN) is inevitable in medicine and is one of the most important and difficult professional tasks of physicians. The main aims of this study are to evaluate residents’ practice of BBN and identify perceived barriers to its implementation. Methods In this cross-sectional study in 2021, 240 residents from medical, surgical, and emergency medicine departments completed the demographic questionnaire, the Persian SPIKES questionnaire (P-SPIKES), and the researchers-made questionnaire of Barriers to Breaking Bad News (BBBN). In addition, they were asked about their previous experience, previous training, and their perceived level of competence in BBN. Results 46.5% and 36.84% of residents rated their perceived competence in BBN and managing the patient’s emotions during BBN as good or very good, respectively. The most difficult aspects of BBN for residents were expressing upsetting information (78.1%) and not disappointing the patient while being honest (58.3%). The mean and standard deviation of the score of the P- SPIKES was 55.92 ± 6.84. The most common SPIKES item was not giving bad news by phone (98.9%). The SPIKES total score was only related to age (positive relationship). The most commonly reported barriers to BBN were concerns about controlling the patient’s emotions (61%) and the aggressiveness of the patient or companions (52.6%). A significant proportion of participants identified lack of training (28%) and insufficient skills (21.9%) as significant barriers to BBN. Conclusions The skill of residents in BBN is insufficient in some aspects and points to the need for BBN training courses during residency. BBN is difficult for residents in some aspects and residents may perceive barriers. To overcome the existing barriers and increase residents’ confidence in BBN, strategies such as incorporating BBN training into residency educational curricula and communication skills are recommended.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-assessment of residents in breaking bad news; skills and barriers

Mansoursamaei,

Ghanbari Jolfaei,

Zandi

et al. 2023

BMC Med Educ

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“…The issue is much more prominent among patients with cancer because, in these cases, the diagnosis of malignancy is equal to death. It has been confirmed that the quality of BBN directly affects the severity of patient's stress and anxiety, satisfaction and coping with health outcomes and care, as well as better adaptation and acceptance [3][4][5]. If the patients inappropriately receive the diagnosis, it results in frustration and resistance in the patients and their relatives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Physicians’ Skills in Breaking Bad News to Patients With Cancer Using SPIKES Protocol

Nabi

Sorouri

Pourramzani

et al. 2022

Caspian J Neurol Sci

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Background: Breaking bad news is an unpleasant task for physicians, especially for patients with cancer. In this regard, the SPIKES protocol, which is prevalent in several countries, has not been discussed in Iran. Objectives: This study evaluated how the SPIKES protocol was followed by physicians. Materials & Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Guilan academic hospitals from December 2021 to April 2022. Patients with cancer participated in the survey who were referred to the oncology academic centers for follow-ups or radiotherapy and chemotherapy. They were over 18 years old with the ability of proper communication. The SPIKES questionnaire consists of 12 questions with 6 subscales (settings, invitation, perception, knowledge, emotion, and strategy). It was filled out through a direct interview. Results: The data from 280 patients were analyzed. Everyone stated that at the time of receiving the diagnosis, the doctor was not in a hurry and made appropriate eye contact. About 61.1% believed they were emotionally supported, and 65.4% were satisfied with their final knowledge about the disease and treatment planning. Patients with older ages and lower levels of education were significantly more likely to state that physicians’ language was not comprehensive; physicians did not understand them, and the patients were not emotionally supported (P=0.0001). Conclusion: This study showed that more attention should be paid to older patients with lower levels of education. They needed more time for conversation and simpler dialect. Some areas, such as “invitation” are required to be improved

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Evaluation of Guilan University of Medical Sciences medical interns’ attitudes regarding breaking bad news to patients based on the SPIKES model, 2020 to 2022

Khoshrang,

Pourvakhshoori,

Mohammadian Roshan

et al. 2024

Journal of Education and Health Promotion

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BACKGROUND: Bad news may be defined as “any information which adversely and seriously affects an individual’s view of his or her future.” It seems necessary for physicians to use a specific method to break the bad news to patients properly. Due to the importance of this skill and its effects on patient’s hope and motivation to continue his treatment process, in this study, we evaluate the interns of Guilan University of Medical Sciences’ attitude to breaking bad news (BBN) to the patients based on strategy for BBN, perception of condition or seriousness, invitation from the patient to give information, knowledge: giving medical facts, explore emotions, and sympathize (SPIKES) model in 2020–2022. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study in Iran, 153 Guilan University of Medical Sciences interns were selected as a census sample in 2020–2022. A self-administered questionnaire collected the information with standard tests confirming its reliability and validity. The collected data were described and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 16. The Chi-square test was used to measure the statistical relationship between the demographic variables and the entire questionnaire. Also, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used to measure the relationship between the average age and the scores obtained from the four main areas and the entire questionnaire. A statistical level of less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: 43.1% of the interns were men, and 56.9% were women. The mean attendance age was 26.12 ± 1.32, the minimum age was 23, and the maximum was 33. Only 8.5% of the interns in this study had been taught about BBN, and most participants announced that they feel pressure and anxiety when BBN to patients. The attitude of interns in this study was not satisfying in all four parts of the study: individual preference (54.2% of participants showed poor attitude), preparing environmental conditions for BBN (60.8% of participants showed poor attitude), how to break bad news (52.3% of participants showed poor attitude), and the things that are done after BBN (52.9% of participants showed poor attitude). CONCLUSION: Based on the results, the attitude of the interns who had participated in this study was not satisfactory. Due to the importance of this communication skill to reduce physician anxiety and best control patients’ reactions, managing courses in the undergraduate curriculum seems necessary.

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Evaluation of surgeons' skills in breaking bad news to cancer patients based on the SPIKES protocol in multiple medical centers at Taif city, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Cited by 4 publications

References 16 publications

Self-assessment of residents in breaking bad news; skills and barriers

Self-assessment of residents in breaking bad news; skills and barriers

Physicians’ Skills in Breaking Bad News to Patients With Cancer Using SPIKES Protocol

Evaluation of Guilan University of Medical Sciences medical interns’ attitudes regarding breaking bad news to patients based on the SPIKES model, 2020 to 2022

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