CANN - 55th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions

Research has shown that the manner in which a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease (ALS/MND) is delivered is a source of discontent for many people living with the disease and their caregivers. This is not surprising given that conveying sensitive news to patients is an arduous and emotionally challenging task for healthcare professionals (HCPs), which many feel ill prepared for given the lack of medical training curricula devoted to this area.5,6 How to Break the News in ALS/MND: A Primer for Physicians and Allied Health Professionals has been designed to improve HCP comfort and confidence in this task by providing them with the skills required to deliver challenging news effectively. The program centers around the A–L S–PIKES protocol which uses well-established principles of communication and counselling that are aimed at improving patient quality of life and promoting the well-being of HCPs involved in the care and management of people living with ALS/MND.

This committee has voluntarily removed the word bad from the communication skill of delivering bad news in ALS/MND. Whereas there will always be an element of suffering and challenge when speaking of an ALS diagnosis and/or disease progression, qualifying this as only “bad” news could potentially prime all parties to “only” focus on the BAD components.