Okuzeka
Medicine vocabulary · Patient Communication

Break bad news

Meaning in medicine, with examples

phraseCommon term

In medicine, break bad news means: To tell a patient or family difficult information, such as a serious diagnosis or a death, in a careful, honest and kind way.

In Turkish: kötü haber vermek, kötü haberi iletmek

How it is used

A core communication skill, taught with frameworks such as SPIKES and tested in OSCEs. Doctors find a quiet room, check what the person already knows, give a 'warning shot' and allow silence.

Example sentences

  1. I've never had to break bad news on my own before. Can you come with me?

  2. Breaking bad news well takes time, so hand your bleep to a colleague first.

Common collocations

  • break bad news to
  • breaking bad news
  • SPIKES protocol
  • warning shot
  • prognosisA doctor's opinion about how an illness is likely to develop and what the chances of recovery or survival are.
  • reassureTo say or do something that makes a worried patient or relative feel calmer and less afraid, usually by explaining that a problem is not serious.
  • lay termsEveryday words that people without medical training understand, used instead of technical vocabulary when talking to patients.
  • next of kinThe person a patient names as their closest relative or contact, whom the hospital will call in an emergency.
  • bedside mannerThe way a doctor behaves and talks with patients, especially how kind, calm and reassuring they are.

More terms: Patient Communication

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.