Whose Line Is It Anyway? Undergraduate Nursing Simulation for Breaking Bad News.

Breaking bad news regarding health care traditionally falls within the scope of practice of the provider. However, now that lab and diagnostic results are uploaded directly to smart devices, patients often receive results before they can be explained. The nurse or nursing student may be the first person the patient sees after reading results and the first to respond to patient questions about bad news. This article describes a simulation where senior baccalaureate students utilize the SPIKES protocol to become better prepared to field questions and break bad news should they find themselves in this situation.