Breaking the news of a diagnosis of motor neurone disease: A national survey of neurologists’ perspectives
Communication of the diagnosis of MND is daunting for patients and neurologists. This study aimed to establish a knowledge base of current Australian practice of breaking the news of an MND diagnosis, to assess the neurologists' educational and training needs and to compare the feedback obtaine...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
2016
|
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18333 |
| _version_ | 1848749714772590592 |
|---|---|
| author | Aoun, Samar Breen, Lauren Edis, R. Henderson, R. Oliver, D. Howting, D. O'Connor, M. Birks, C. |
| author_facet | Aoun, Samar Breen, Lauren Edis, R. Henderson, R. Oliver, D. Howting, D. O'Connor, M. Birks, C. |
| author_sort | Aoun, Samar |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Communication of the diagnosis of MND is daunting for patients and neurologists. This study aimed to establish a knowledge base of current Australian practice of breaking the news of an MND diagnosis, to assess the neurologists' educational and training needs and to compare the feedback obtained from neurologists and patients to international practice guidelines. An anonymous survey of neurologists was undertaken in Australia (2014). 73 neurologists responded to this national survey (50.4% response rate). Nearly 70% of neurologists reported finding it “somewhat to very difficult” communicating the MND diagnosis, and 65% reported feeling moderate to high stress and anxiety at the delivery of diagnosis. Compared to international guidelines, areas for improvement include length of consultation, period of follow up and referral to MND associations. Two-thirds of neurologists were interested in further training to respond to patient's emotions and development of best practice guidelines. This is the first national study to provide a comprehensive insight into the process of delivering the MND diagnosis from the neurologists' perspective and to make comparisons with those of patients and the international guidelines. This study forms the basis for developing protocols to improve communication skills and alleviate the emotional burden associated with breaking bad news. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:25:20Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-18333 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:25:20Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-183332017-09-13T15:46:01Z Breaking the news of a diagnosis of motor neurone disease: A national survey of neurologists’ perspectives Aoun, Samar Breen, Lauren Edis, R. Henderson, R. Oliver, D. Howting, D. O'Connor, M. Birks, C. Communication of the diagnosis of MND is daunting for patients and neurologists. This study aimed to establish a knowledge base of current Australian practice of breaking the news of an MND diagnosis, to assess the neurologists' educational and training needs and to compare the feedback obtained from neurologists and patients to international practice guidelines. An anonymous survey of neurologists was undertaken in Australia (2014). 73 neurologists responded to this national survey (50.4% response rate). Nearly 70% of neurologists reported finding it “somewhat to very difficult” communicating the MND diagnosis, and 65% reported feeling moderate to high stress and anxiety at the delivery of diagnosis. Compared to international guidelines, areas for improvement include length of consultation, period of follow up and referral to MND associations. Two-thirds of neurologists were interested in further training to respond to patient's emotions and development of best practice guidelines. This is the first national study to provide a comprehensive insight into the process of delivering the MND diagnosis from the neurologists' perspective and to make comparisons with those of patients and the international guidelines. This study forms the basis for developing protocols to improve communication skills and alleviate the emotional burden associated with breaking bad news. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18333 10.1016/j.jns.2016.06.033 fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Aoun, Samar Breen, Lauren Edis, R. Henderson, R. Oliver, D. Howting, D. O'Connor, M. Birks, C. Breaking the news of a diagnosis of motor neurone disease: A national survey of neurologists’ perspectives |
| title | Breaking the news of a diagnosis of motor neurone disease: A national survey of neurologists’ perspectives |
| title_full | Breaking the news of a diagnosis of motor neurone disease: A national survey of neurologists’ perspectives |
| title_fullStr | Breaking the news of a diagnosis of motor neurone disease: A national survey of neurologists’ perspectives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Breaking the news of a diagnosis of motor neurone disease: A national survey of neurologists’ perspectives |
| title_short | Breaking the news of a diagnosis of motor neurone disease: A national survey of neurologists’ perspectives |
| title_sort | breaking the news of a diagnosis of motor neurone disease: a national survey of neurologists’ perspectives |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18333 |