Daughter asks you to hide a diagnosis
PLAB 2 practice station
Breaking bad news · 1 min to read · 8 min to perform
Mr Harpreet Gill, aged 79, has been in hospital for a week.
Simran GillDoctor, thank you for seeing me. Please do not tell my father he has cancer. Tell him it is just an infection. He will give up if he knows.
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Open the full station (charts, voice, result letter) →The task
You are a doctor on a medical ward. Mr Harpreet Gill, aged 79, has been in hospital for a week. Tests have shown a cancer of the pancreas that has spread. He has not yet been told. His daughter, Miss Simran Gill, has asked to see you privately before you speak to him. He has capacity. Speak to her, and discuss with her how you will proceed. The examiner will not take part in the conversation.
What this station tests
- Listen to the relative: you may receive information without giving any.
- Do not disclose or deceive. A patient with capacity decides what he wants to know.
- Ask the patient first how much he wants to know.
- Offer family support and a plan for after the news.
Sources for the clinical content
An original practice scenario with invented patients. Not an exam question.