Breaking Bad News and Difficult Circumstances

Breaking Bad News and Difficult Circumstances supports meeting I 1.3. For dental nurses this requires calm, private and consistent communication when patients face sensitive clinical or personal information.

Communication in dental nursing is patient-safety work. It enables valid consent, preserves dignity, supports reassurance and accurate records, and ensures safe handover and escalation.

These skills appear in everyday moments: a patient who is uncertain, a receptionist seeking guidance, a dentist working quickly, a trainee needing feedback, a message from a patient, a handover, or a colleague unsure how to raise a concern. Interpersonal skill is the ability to respond with care, clarity and professional judgement.

Practical markers

• Notice: what the patient, colleague, situation or system is telling you.
• Choose: the communication method, team route or escalation step that fits the context.
• Respect: role boundaries, confidentiality, dignity, cultural needs and emotional impact.
• Check: understanding, responsibility, handover and whether the next person has the information they need.
• Follow up: record actions, provide feedback, discuss in supervision or raise concerns where needed.

Useful phrasing can be simple: "Can I check how the patient would prefer us to explain this before we continue?" It gives a clear reason to pause, clarify or escalate while remaining calm and professional.

SPF behaviour links

Tailored spoken, written and electronic communication with patients in sensitive clinical and personal contexts helps dental nurses protect patient dignity, team trust and safe care.