Background: Delivering bad news to patients is one of the most difficult tasks of physicians that play a big role in the process of treatment and cooperation of patients. Patients generally have the right to be informed of their condition, but the debate over the importance of the attitude of telling the truth is still an issue. Objective: This study aimed to understand the attitude and practices toward breaking the bad news among physicians in a National Tertiary Government Hospital for infectious Diseases from October 2020 to October 2021. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the San Lazaro Hospital from October 2020 to October 2021. A self-administered questionnaire was adapted to elicit information on physicians’ knowledge and practices about breaking bad news to patients and their families. Inclusion criteria included all the practicing physicians assigned in the clinical areas either full time or part time medical specialists, residents and fellows and hospitalist in San Lazaro Hospital. Physicians who were assigned in the non-clinical areas and did not see or handle patients and non-employees of the institution and who refused to sign the informed consent were excluded. Total Purposive Sampling was utilized. Data were gathered using a validated 3-part 34 item personally administered questionnaire and was presented in Descriptive Statistics Frequency distribution for the demographics, ANOVA, Linear regression analysis. Results: A total of 100 participants was included and based on socio-demographic characteristics of respondents toward breaking the bad news. Majority of the respondents were aged 35 – 54 years old with 52 or 52%, female with 69 or 69%, were fellows with 41 or 41%, specialty was Family Medicine with 36 or 36%, and majority of the respondent’s qualification was GP with training with 46 or 46%. The study revealed that sex (t = -2.070, p = 0.042) had significant association to the attitude and practices toward breaking the bad news among practicing physicians at 0.05 level of significance. Thus, male respondents has had higher attitude and practices toward breaking the bad news as compare to female respondents. Conclusion According to the findings of this study, clinicians at San Lazaro Hospital demonstrated a good attitude and practice regarding breaking the bad news between October 2020 and October 2021. The researcher believed want to help their patients, and most of them have the necessary knowledge and skills for breaking bad news.
Attitude