'Bad news' has been defined as any information which adversely and seriously affects an individual's view of his or her future; whether news is bad or not can only be in the eye of the beholder. The news may be dead, cancer but it may equally be Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, psoriasis, diabetes or any other life-altering disease. It may be about a child who has brain damage or a serious congenital condition. One study found that 50% of parents were dissatisfied with the way they were told about their child's congenital deafness. Breaking bad news is a complex skill as, in addition to the verbal component, it also requires the ability to recognise and respond to the patient's emotions, dealing with the stress that the bad news creates and yet still being able to involve the patient in any decisions and maintaining hope where there may be little. 

In medicine, in every setting, there is always a need to communicate bad news. With this course we will give the practical and theoretical foundations for good communication.

This seminar course is associated with the seminar series GERIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, held at collegio Cairoli.