Breaking bad news - an interdisciplinary curricular teaching-concept

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Palliative Care
• Communication Skills Training

Background:

• Growing public and academic interest in palliative medicine and end-of-life care.
• Palliative medicine is now a compulsory undergraduate subject in Germany, with varying faculty preparedness.
• Need for structured training in sensitive communication, particularly delivering bad news.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development, didactic approach, and initial outcomes of a new interdisciplinary course on "Delivering bad news."
• To integrate essential communication skills into the palliative medicine curriculum for final-year medical students.
• To assess student reception and the effectiveness of the course's educational strategies.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a compulsory interdisciplinary course at University Medical Center Göttingen starting autumn 2009.
• Course structure includes two double lessons for final-year medical students.
• Focus on imparting knowledge, attitudes, and communication skills related to delivering bad news.

Main Results:

• The course was well-received by students, achieving high marks in evaluations.
• Positive feedback was specifically given for the teachers' performance and dedication.
• Despite being resource-intensive, the seminar demonstrated student engagement and acceptance.

Conclusions:

• The "Delivering bad news" course effectively utilizes didactic structure, theory, role-playing, and media (film, novels).
• Further experience and evaluation are needed to refine the curriculum.
• Repeated communication skills training throughout medical studies is recommended for progressive learning.