Home       If you would be interested in seeing a forum added to this site for discussion of breaking bad news please click the button below:   Health Professionals find it difficult to break bad news since it means telling an individual something that they do not wish to hear. They may have had little opportunity to learn the skills required and may feel ill prepared to deal with the patient's reactions, which can include anger, guilt, and blame of the bearer of the news This website is designed to provide guidelines and practical suggestions on how to communicate any medical information effectively and compassionately, and respond to a patient's and family's feelings and needs. If you are looking to improve your skills and develop strategies to handle bad news situations a good starting point would be to visit the guidelines section or you could visit the strategies section where you can hone your communications skills with a range of interactive learning examples.         This section provides a range of interactive learning examples that will help you to hone your communications skills and improve self-awareness: Each section includes exercises to encourage reflection, linking with your own experience. •  Telling the patient about a poor prognosis •  Handling the aftermath •  Working with the relatives     View the guidelines This section offers useful downloads and other features which you can use in your clinical practice. You can also browse through a selection of useful links to other related sites. Discover the resources available This section gives strategies for handling some of the reactions, which you may see in patients and relatives. •  Denial •  When a family member asks you not to tell (Collusion) •  Handling Anger, Guilt and Blame •  Answering Difficult Questions •  Grief •  Encouraging Hope •  Giving Space   View the strategies