Current research trends and research themes of breaking bad news: A systematic review

Abstract

Breaking bad news is challenging and complex for healthcare professionals. The art of breaking bad news is not just difficult to master, but it may also put the physician-patient relationship as well as the overall quality of healthcare in jeopardy. Hence, it is important to keep abreast of recent research trends and themes on breaking bad news to better understand the issues discussed in the research ground. This study, therefore, aims to gauge the research trends and, at the same time, identify the research themes in current literature. A systematic literature review of breaking bad news research following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) statement was conducted on articles published within a ten-year period between 2011 and 2020. From the 187 articles obtained from the initial search, the researchers were able to extract 152 articles with full-text access. After screening the articles using the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 35 articles were finally selected, examined, and summarised in a table. Descriptive synthesis analysis was used to analyse the data, which was later thematically classified. The findings revealed three main foci of current breaking bad news research: (a) initiatives to improve breaking bad news, (b) ways to break bad news, and (c) the emotions of healthcare professionals when breaking bad news. The review of current literature has revealed significant research gaps, which is beneficial in determining important but neglected areas of study for future research.