Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 28, 2026

E-Patient Counseling Trial (E-PACO): Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
Breaking bad news: evaluation study on self-perceived competences and views of medical and nursing students taking
Jan Schildmann1, Jürgen Härlein, Nicole Burchardi
1Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Markstrasse 258a, 44799, Bochum, Germany. jan.schildmann@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Goals Of The Work:
To identify possible effects of an interprofessional breaking bad news course for medical and nursing students on perceived key communication skills and to elicit the views of participants on interprofessional aspects of breaking bad news.
Participants And Methods:
Medical and nursing students attending an optional course on breaking bad news received a structured questionnaire on self-perceived communication skills and views on interprofessional aspects at the beginning and end of the course.
Main Results:
Forty-seven out of 54 students completed the evaluation questionnaires (response rate=87%). Medical students and nursing students rated their key communication skills after the course as significantly better compared with the beginning of the course. Medical students and nursing students disagreed with the statement that a course format for only one of the professional groups would have been more effective than the interprofessional course concept.
Conclusions:
Students valued the concept of the interprofessional course positively. The improvement of self-perceived communication skills may be interpreted as a positive effect of the teaching session. Further research is necessary to develop strategies to implement a collaborative approach in breaking bad news in clinical practice.
Related Concept Videos
Obedience
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data from the...
The Professional Nurse
Communication skills: These are critical characteristics, especially speaking and listening.
Critical Thinking II
Nursing Evaluation
Section...
Sources of Self-Esteem II: Performance Feedback

