[Communicating the diagnosis to the patient with neurological diseases]

Communicating the diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease entails a significant emotional burden for the patient, their family and/or caregivers Adequate information on the disease and symptoms that they are going to have to face can greatly help to improve their perception of the seriousness of the condition. Communicating bad news to the patients and their families is a very common practice in the medical activity but also a very difficult task. Most of the doctors have only received limited or non-regulated training on this subject.

The studies published regarding methodology to be used when communicating the diagnosis have been analyzed beginning with the publication of Grau et al. on the satisfaction of patients suffering multiple sclerosis with the information received.

Training programs for medical specialists or other health care professionals who act as case managers and the elaboration of protocols for the communicating of the diagnosis, such as those that are used in the clinical pathways, are necessary to improve scientific and human quality of the information given to the patient.