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Teaching dental students how to deliver bad news: S-P-I-K-E-S model
Sharon Curtin1, Mary McConnell
1School of Dentistry, University College Cork, UCC Wilton, Cork, Munster, Ireland. s.curtin@ucc.ie
Abstract:
Delivering bad news has traditionally been associated with life-threatening illness, the imminence of death, or communicating about the death of a loved one to a family member. The delivery of bad news in dentistry is rarely about life-threatening circumstances. However, the impact of the bad news such as the loss of an anterior tooth can be devastating for the patient. This article outlines the S-P-I-K-E-S protocol and discusses the teaching aims and methodology in applying the model in an undergraduate dental program in Ireland.
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