The art of medicine: The reflections of a very junior doctor in breaking bad news.

Anderson, Toni · Patient Educ Couns · 2020

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Abstract

Being a clinician is not simply about making the diagnosis and treating the patient. In this fast paced and ever evolving medical interface where time is of the essence, it has become unfortunately less common to witness situations that remind us that medicine is in fact, an art. Breaking bad news is an example of this. Compassion is not something that can be taught, but rather it is something that can be observed, practised and later honed. It is by observing these skills in our peers and reflecting on them that we may better ourselves as clinicians. Allow me to recount a memory of the first time that I was witness to that art at its finest.

Medical subject headings