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Setup and Execution of the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Death Notification Curriculum

Setup and Execution of the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Death Notification Curriculum

Published on: August 5, 2020

Reflections on giving bad news.

Thomas Gilmore¹

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA. thomas_gilmore@hotmail.com

Academic Emergency Medicine : Official Journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

|February 25, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Delivering news of a patient's death via telephone is a difficult but important skill for emergency physicians. While resources for in-person delivery exist, telephone delivery guidance remains limited.

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Area of Science:

Emergency Medicine
Medical Communication
Palliative Care

Background:

Death in the emergency department (ED) is common.
Effective communication of this news is crucial for physicians.
Existing protocols like SPIKES and GRIEV_ING address in-person delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

To reflect on the specific challenges and considerations of delivering news of death over the telephone.
To highlight the gap in literature regarding telephone-based delivery of bad news.

Main Methods:

This is a reflection piece, not a research study.
It draws on the author's experience and existing knowledge of communication protocols.
It identifies a specific communication scenario: delivering death notifications via phone.

Main Results:

The article discusses the unique difficulties associated with telephone-based death notifications.
It emphasizes the need for specific strategies tailored to this communication method.
It points out the scarcity of literature addressing this particular scenario.

Conclusions:

Emergency physicians require skills to deliver difficult news, including over the telephone.
Further development and literature are needed for effective telephone-based death notifications.
This communication skill is essential for compassionate patient care.