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  • Title: Physicians' and the public's attitudes on communication about death.
    Author: Viswanathan R, Clark JJ, Viswanathan K.
    Journal: Arch Intern Med; 1986 Oct; 146(10):2029-33. PubMed ID: 3767549.
    Abstract:
    We studied the preferences of physicians and the public as to how physicians should inform a family of a patient's unexpected death. When the family had to be reached by telephone, 72% of our 150 physician-respondents preferred telling the family that the patient was critically ill and asking the family to come to the hospital immediately (critical notification [CN]); 25% of the physicians preferred announcing the death over the telephone (death notification [DN]). When the news had to be announced in person, 58% of physicians preferred immediately announcing it (IA), and 33% preferred gradual announcement (GA). A Gallup poll commissioned by us showed that 64% of the adult population in the United States preferred CN, 26% DN, 79% IA, and 17% GA; CN and IA were preferred in all the demographic subgroups examined. We discuss our findings, the reasons for them, and their ethical and practical implications.
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