Attitudes of patients and families about the transmission of bad news in oncology wards

Attitudes of patients and families about the transmission of bad news in oncology wards
Mohammad mahdi mohammadi,^1,* zeinab sadat moosavifard,² ashraf beirami,³ shekufe zaree,⁴
1. BSc in Nursing, Department of Nursing, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
2. Department of Nursing, faculty of nursing, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
3. Department of Nursing, faculty of nursing, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
4. Department of Nursing, faculty of nursing, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Introduction: Introduction: Transmitting bad news is one of the most important challenges in cancer patients. This study was conducted to evaluate the attitudes of patients and families of patients who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of cancer.
Methods: Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 200 patients and families of cancer patients (70 patients, 80 adult families and 50 sick children) were admitted to the oncology wards of Bandar abbas Hospital were selected by available sampling method. The data collection tool was a questionnaire that was set in 6 dimensions of person, appropriate time and place to give bad news, amount of information given, acceptance of bad news, factors affecting how bad news was transmitted and demographic information. The questionnaire was completed by interview.
Results: Results: Based on the findings, there is a statistically significant difference between age and attitude in terms of receiving bad news in all 3 groups (p = 0.035). Bad news (difference between groups: 0.013) and lower attitude than the other two groups in the dimension of factors affecting bad news (difference between groups: 0.006). Female patients have a lower attitude towards bad news (p = 0.036). In the family of adult patients, people with higher education have a lower attitude towards the person giving bad news (p = 0.008). Also, people with higher incomes have a higher attitude towards giving bad news time (p = 0.036). Living in a private home caused a higher attitude towards the appropriate place (p = 0.033) and the amount of information to give bad news (p = 0.043) and also in the families of patients with acute illness a higher attitude towards the amount of information given about bad news ( p = 0.023). Individuals working in the family group of young patients had a higher attitude towards accepting bad news (p = 0.03).
Conclusion: Conclusion: The results of this study show that there is no significant difference in the attitude of the patient and the family of the adult patient and the family of the young patient, but there is a difference in some aspects of the attitude and compared to some demographic variables. Socio-economic and demographic of people to be considered.
Keywords: Bad news, Patient and family attitude, Cancer, Communication skills.