Practical Plans for Difficult Conversations in Medicine ─ Strategies That Work in Breaking Bad News

Buckman, an oncologist who teaches at the U. of Toronto, Canada, presents communication guidelines for physicians giving bad news, like the diagnosis of a serious or fatal illness, the death of a loved one, disclosure of a medical error, or resolving conflict. He provides strategies and approaches any clinician can use, including basic strategies, the physical setting and context, how to acknowledge the patient's feelings, and four protocols, including what to anticipate in different situations, how to keep discussions constructive, and scenarios with alternate responses. He also addresses situations like requests for autopsy and organ donation and preparing for a difficult interview. The accompanying DVD demonstrates the protocols with eight examples of unscripted and unrehearsed conversations. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Robert Buckman, M.D., Ph.D. (1948–2011), was an oncologist and professor at the University of Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital. He was the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters as well as of books, including How to Break Bad News, What You Really Need to Know about Cancer, and Human Wildlife, all three published by Johns Hopkins.