Simulation and Structured Debriefing to Teach Breaking Bad News in Pediatric Care
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62438/tunismed.v104i09.7147Keywords:
breaking bad news, pediatrics, medical education, simulation, debriefing, communicationAbstract
Introduction: Breaking bad news is an essential medical skill and is particularly challenging in pediatrics. Simulation combined with structured debriefing is an educational strategy for developing communication skills.
Aim : To describe an educational intervention based on role-play and structured debriefing, and to explore its perceived impact on medical students’ communication skills when breaking the news of end-stage chronic kidney disease in pediatric patients.
Methods: A single-center descriptive study was conducted during the 2025–2026 academic year among 42 second-year medical students(DCEM2). Students participated in a structured teaching session comprising a theoretical introduction, role-play simulation, and structured
debriefing. Evaluation was based on a satisfaction questionnaire, pre/post-intervention self-assessment, qualitative analysis of students’ comments, and a structured observational assessment of the performance of the three students who played the role of the physician, using a
13-domain competency grid scored from 0 to 2.
Results: All 42 students participated in the entire educational intervention and completed the questionnaires, correspond ..( abstract truncated at 250 words).
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