Preference of cancer patients and family members regarding delivery of bad news and differences in clinical practice among medical staff

Objectives To study the preferences of cancer patients and their families in way of being informed of their condition and, by comparing their preferences with the medical staff’s clinical practices, explore the factors underlying the latter’s preferences. Methods A survey was conducted with 216 cancer patients, 242 families, and 176 clinical staff members with the Medical Status Communication questionnaire (Simplified Chinese edition). Results The clinical staff scored lower than the cancer patients and their families in terms of the total score, way of communication, emotional support, and additional information ( F = 16.134, p