Delivering bad news in clinical practice - the role of communication skills and emotional intelligence among Polish healthcare professionals

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Adam

Effective communication and emotional intelligence (EI) are essential to ethically grounded, patient-centred care, particularly when delivering bad news (BBN). Despite growing interest in international healthcare education, empirical data from Central and Eastern Europe remain limited. This cross-sectional study surveyed 929 Polish healthcare professionals using validated communication, EI, and BBN attitudes instruments. Results link stronger communication competencies and openness to BBN, with small effect sizes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background and rationale

Emotional intelligence and communication protocols

Study design and measures

Methods

Participants and instruments

Results

Communication competencies and BBN attitudes

Predictors and effect sizes

Conclusions

Implications for training

Kosydar-Bochenek etal. BMC Medical Education (2026) 26:9 BMC Medical Education [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-08222-3](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-08222-3) RESEARCH Open Access Delivering bad news in clinical practice: the role of communication skills and emotional intelligence among Polish healthcare professionals Justyna Kosydar-Bochenek 1,6*, Jacek Kobak2, Mateusz Szczupak3, Jakub Hubert Będkowski4 and Sabina Krupa-Nurcek5 Abstract Effective communication and emotional intelligence (EI) are essential to ethically grounded, patient-centred care, particularly when delivering bad news (BBN) . Despite growing attention in international healthcare education, empirical data from Central and Eastern Europe remain scarce. Methods this cross-sectional study surveyed 929 Polish healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, paramedics, midwives, and physiotherapists) . Standardised instruments included the Health Professionals Communication Skills Scale (HP-CSS), the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (INTE), and the Breaking Bad News Attitudes Scale (BBNAS) . Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlations, and multiple regression. Results nurses, and to a lesser extent physicians, demonstrated stronger communication competencies and higher openness to breaking bad news (BBNAS Openness) . Both positive (informative communication, INTE I – using emotions in reasoning) and negative predictors (Respect, INTE II – recognising emotions) were identified. Effect sizes were small (η² ≤ 0. 04; adjusted R² = 0.02–0. 06), indicating that, although statistically significant, the findings had a limited practical impact. Conclusions the findings underscore the significance of emotional intelligence and practical communication skills in equipping healthcare professionals to manage emotionally demanding interactions effectively. Tailored training integrated into medical education may foster more confident, ethical, and patient-centred BBN practices. However, the modest effect sizes suggest that multiple psychological and organisational factors contribute to readiness. Keywords Breaking bad news, Communication skills, Emotional intelligence, Healthcare professionals, Patient communication, Poland *Correspondence: Justyna Kosydar-Bochenek [jkosydar@ur.edu.pl](jkosydar@ur.edu.pl) 1Faculty of Health Sciences and Psychology, Collegium Medicum, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland 2Department of Otorynolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland 3Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Copernicus Hospital, Gdańsk, Poland 4Department of Medical Education, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland 5Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland 6University Center for Research and Development in Health Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/l](http://creativecommons.org/l)icenses/by/4.0/. Kosydar-Bochenek et al. BMC Medical Education (2026) 26:9 Introduction Effective communication is at the heart of good medical care. It is a crucial professiona

FAQs

What was the focus of this study on breaking bad news?

The study examined how communication skills and emotional intelligence relate to attitudes toward breaking bad news among Polish healthcare professionals.

How were participants and key variables measured?

A cross-sectional survey included 929 professionals and used standardized scales for communication skills, emotional intelligence, and breaking bad news attitudes.

Which groups showed stronger communication competencies and openness to breaking bad news?

Nurses, and to a lesser extent physicians, showed stronger communication competencies and higher openness to breaking bad news.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Adam