[A very difficult question: a qualitative research from the nurses' perspective].

Unlabelled: Aim of this paper is to identify what is a difficult question, according to nurses' perceptions. Since the knowledge on this area is limited, a qualitative method was preferred for a pilot study.

Methods: As part of a training exercise, fifty-one nurses were requested to recall, from their own experience, and to describe, a difficult question asked by a patient, that created problems to the nurse. Data were analysed with hermeneutical-interpretative methodology.

Results: Three main conceptual cores were identified: the characteristics of the difficult question; the "after the question"; and the source of the problem experienced. The first core is related to the content of the question but also to the characteristics of the person that formulates it, to the setting, and to the subjective perception of the time window. What happens after the question is related to the nurse's reactions. The third conceptual core is related to the interplay between different possible roles: patient, professional, and human being. The denominator of the three cores has to do with the emotional-relational dimension of the communication. This difficulty may partly be due to the lack of education in the management of the emotions.