title: Patients' Attitude toward Breaking Bad News; a Brief Report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Delivering bad news is a stressful moment for both physicians and patients. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the patients' preferences and attitudes toward being informed about the bad news.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was done on patients admitted to Imam Khomeini Hospital, Sari, Iran, from September 2014 to February 2015. Patient attitude regarding breaking bad news was evaluated using a reliable and valid questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  130 patients were evaluated (61.5% male, mean age = 46.21 ± 12.1 years). 118 (90.76%) participants believed that the patient himself/herself should be informed about the disease's condition. 120 (92.30%) preferred to hear the news from a skillful physician and 105 (80.76%) believed that emergency department is not a proper place for breaking bad news.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the results of the present study, most participants believed that the most experienced and skillful physician should inform them completely regarding their medical condition. At the same time they declared that, it is best to hear bad news in a calm and suitable place and time rather than emergency department or hospital corridors during teaching rounds.
authors: Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors: Hamed
authors: H
authors: Aminiahidashti
authors: Department of community medicine, Faculty of medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors: Seyed Jaber
authors: SJ
authors: Mousavi
authors: Faculty of medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors: Mohammad Mehdi
authors: MM
authors: Darzi
keywords: Truth disclosure; attitude; ethics; patient rights; physician-patient relations