EM Cases · Communication and breaking bad news
Death notification — communication station
ACEM Fellowship OSCE communication station on death notification, plain language, silence, and de-escalation of grief-anger.
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Target exams
ACEMFRCEMABEMFRCPCCCFPEMEBEEM
Prompt
A 58-year-old dies after failed resuscitation for massive PE. Adult son is in the relatives' room. Notify him of the death using SPIKES and manage his anger and questions about 'why didn't you save him?'
Stem
All persons, presentations and observations in this station are fictional and invented for teaching assessment; they do not describe a real person.
References2ShowHide
- [1]Baile WF, et al. SPIKES-A six-step protocol for delivering bad news: application to the patient with cancer. Oncologist, 2000.PMID 10964998
- [2]Lei C, et al. Difficult Conversation Case: Death Notification. JETEM, 2025.PMID 41522637