São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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Observational Study
Breaking bad news: doctors' skills in communicating with patients.
Breaking bad news is one of doctors' duties and it requires them to have some skills, given that this situation is difficult and distressful for patients and their families. Moreover, it is also an uncomfortable condition for doctors. The aim of this study was to evaluate doctors' capacity to break bad news, ascertain which specialties are best prepared for doing this and assess the importance of including this topic within undergraduate courses. ⋯ Much needs to be improved regarding this technique. Therefore, inclusion of this topic in undergraduate courses is necessary and proposals should be put forward and verified.
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The purpose of screening tests for cancer is to detect it at an early stage in order to increase the chances of treatment. However, their unrestrained use may lead to unnecessary examinations, overdiagnosis and higher costs. It is thus necessary to evaluate their clinical effects in terms of benefits and harm. ⋯ The evidence found through Cochrane reviews did not support most of the commonly used screening tests for cancer. It is recommended that patients should be informed of the possibilities of false positives and false negatives before they undergo the tests. Further studies to fully assess the effectiveness of cancer screening tests and adverse outcomes are required.
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Sexual violence is increasingly frequent worldwide. The aim here was to evaluate the sociodemographic and psychological characteristics of women who requested legal abortion, at a public healthcare service, after sufering sexual violence. ⋯ There was greater occurrence of sexual violence among students and women who worked outside. Among the students, most of these were adolescents and had no previous sexual life. The teenagers were raped by a known aggressor.
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Dieulafoy's disease of the bronchial tree is a very rare condition. Few cases have been reported in the literature. It can be asymptomatic or manifest with massive hemoptysis. This disease should be considered among heavy smokers when recurrent massive hemoptysis is present amid otherwise normal findings. The treatment can be arterial embolization or surgical intervention. ⋯ Dieulafoy's disease is a rare vascular anomaly and it is extremely rare in the bronchial tree. In bronchial Dieulafoy's disease, selective embolization has been suggested as a method for cessation of bleeding. Nevertheless, standard anatomical lung resection is a safe and curative alternative.