Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39290389›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in medicine2024

Health professionals' views and experiences of breaking bad news in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a scoping review.

Abdulla Ahmad A A Yousuf, Derek Charles Stewart, Tanya Kane, Abderrezzaq Soltani, Abdullatif Al-Khal, Ahsan Sethi

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. A scoping review of clinicalFrontiers in medicine · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Disclosure of bad news: a challenging practice?Canadian medical education journal · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Abdulla Ahmad A A YousufQU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Derek Charles StewartQU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Tanya KaneQU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Abderrezzaq SoltaniQU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Abdullatif Al-KhalQU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Ahsan SethiQU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Breaking bad news is a critical yet challenging aspect of healthcare that requires effective communication skills, empathy, and cultural sensitivity. Health professionals in the World Health Organization's (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region face unique cultural and social factors distinct from other parts of the world. This scoping review aims to comprehensively explore the peer-reviewed literature on the health professionals' experiences in delivering bad news within the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region. Methods: This scoping review was conducted according to the Joanna Brigg Institute's scoping review methodology and reported utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews extension for scoping review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A search using a combination of keywords and MeSH terms related to "breaking bad news" and "health professionals" was performed in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, EBSCO, ERIC via Embase, and Dar Almandumah (Arabic) databases. Common themes were synthesized from studies conducted in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region. Results: Out of 4,883 studies initially identified in the databases, 24 studies met the inclusion criteria, involving a total of 4,710 participants, including physicians, nurses, and residents. The studies were published between 2006 and 2022, predominantly from Iran ( Conclusion: The scoping review reveals both positive and negative experiences of breaking bad news by health professionals in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region. Most studies highlight the need for culturally sensitive targeted education and training programs on breaking bad news. Further research, particularly using qualitative methodologies and theoretical frameworks is warranted.

Indexed as

breaking bad newsMENAMiddle EastQatartruth disclosure

Identifiers

PMID39290389
PMCPMC11407430

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.