How to Present Negative Medical News in a Positive Light: A Prescription for Health Care Providers

In a 2009 Gallup poll, 30 percent of Americans surveyed believed that the national health care industry offers less-than-good quality of care for its citizens. But you can change how your patients perceive your own services, starting with how you and your staff deliver sensitive news. With this step-by-step guide, you will learn exactly how to talk to any patient or their family about even the worst of news. Like so many other aspects of the medical field, there is a science behind how to deliver negative news to your patients, and How to Present Negative News in a Positive Light will teach you the best methods of handling delicate and critical situations. Using this book as your guide, you can help nurture the delicate and valuable relationship that everyone in the health care field must form with their patients, even in times of high stress and negative news. Visiting a clinic is stressful enough for your patient, but with this research-backed book, you will learn how to ease the excess worries of your clients. You will learn the psychology behind your patient's state of mind to ensure that any bad news you communicate is tailored effectively for his or her situation. You will learn not to overlook the details that many health care providers might not notice, such as your clinic's environment, atmosphere, and employees, and will see how every detail can impact your patient's comfort. In this detailed book, you will gain knowledge on topics ranging from medical ethics to the legalities of delivering news to a patient's friends and family, as well as how to share this information among your staff. You will learn how to cope with religious or cultural issues that may arise with sensitive medical news, and you will learn how to avoid negative repercussions that could reflect poorly on you and your clinic. With How to Present Negative News in a Positive Light, you will understand how to articulate the best verbal structure possible for any and all bad news, as well as how to project your body language to ensure that a bad diagnosis is delivered in the most positive light possible. Have you ever presented a diagnosis to a patient without giving thought to how your hands were positioned? Were you unaware of your posture and level of eye contact? If you weren't keeping your hands open, your posture tall, and your gaze steady, your patient's reaction may have been worse than it had to be. This book will explain the vast importance of these subtle gestures. You will learn how to avoid saying too much or too little, and learn how to recognize what your patient needs to hear from you immediately following any bad news. Even the worst of news can be presented in an uplifting and positive manner this book will teach you how. Packed with real-life examples of doctors, nurses, and patients who know first-hand the best and worst ways of delivering bad news in the health care setting, this book will become a daily go-to resource at your clinic. In this book, you will read about what has worked in real life from health care providers who are willing to share their experiences in order that you can learn from their personal trials. You can turn pessimism into optimism and keep your patients happy and loyal even in times of extreme hardship.

Michael J. Cavallaro was born in New Hyde Park, New York, and was educated at Villanova University. Following his years as an editor with HarperCollins Publishers, he has worked as a freelance writer for commercial business. This is his third book.＂