Bad news is any news that drastically, negatively, and seriously affects an individual’s view of their future. All bad news, therefore, has serious adverse consequences for patients and families; the impact is proportional to its effect in changing the patient’s expectations.
It is important to define the central element of bad news: that is, to try to identify what makes it so bad for the patient. In most cases this is obvious, such as the diagnosis of a serious life-limiting illness and, consequently, dealing with a limited life span and/or loss of function and/or quality of life.