Breaking bad news: a descriptive study of physicians’ perspective of Sindh, Pakistan Authors Syed Hamza Abbas Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, United Kingdom Syed Qamar Abbas St Clare Hospice, Hastingwood, Essex, United Kingdom Syed Muhammad Mubeen Department of Community Health Sciences, Hamdard College of Medicine and Dentistry, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan Syed Muhammad Mubashir Final Year MBBS Student, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Aliya Zaman Department of Pathology, Muhammad Medical College, Mirpurkhas, Pakistan DOI: https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.5249 Abstract Objective: To assess the perception and attitude of physicians related to breaking bad news. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at three teaching hospitals in Karachi and Mirpurkhas, Pakistan, from April 2019 to February 2020, after approval from Hamdard University, Karachi, and comprised physicians of either gender having direct patient contact. Data was collected using a questionnaire based on literature. The questionnaire was pilot-tested before distribution among the subjects. The responses were categorised with respect to age, gender and professional experience. Data was analysed using SPSS 25. Results: Of the 230 subjects, 119(51.7%) were females. The overall mean age was 34.5±8.8 years and mean professional experience was 9.1±8.2 years. Overall, 19(8.3%) subjects believed they had a very good ability to deliver bad news, while 26(11.3%) avoided telling the patient the truth about diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Age had a significant association with correctly defining breaking bad news (p<0.05). Conclusion: The skill level related to breaking bad news was found to be deficient. Key Words: Breaking bad news, Communication, Pakistan. Author Biographies Syed Qamar Abbas, St Clare Hospice, Hastingwood, Essex, United Kingdom Consultant in Palliative Medicine Syed Muhammad Mubeen, Department of Community Health Sciences, Hamdard College of Medicine and Dentistry, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan Professor at Department of Community Health Sciences Syed Muhammad Mubashir, Final Year MBBS Student, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan Final year Medical student Aliya Zaman, Department of Pathology, Muhammad Medical College, Mirpurkhas, Pakistan Assistant Professor at Department of Pathology Downloads Full Text Article Published 2023-03-04 How to Cite Abbas, S. H., Abbas, S. Q., Mubeen, S. M., Mubashir, S. M., & Zaman, A. (2023). Breaking bad news: a descriptive study of physicians’ perspective of Sindh, Pakistan. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 73(3), 487–493. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.5249 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Issue Vol. 73 No. 3 (2023): March Section Research Article