StructuredFor Healthcare ProfessionalsPatient Communication & Counselling

Breaking Bad News Script.

Use when preparing for any consultation where you must deliver difficult, life-changing, or distressing news to a patient or family.

ChatGPT Β· Claude Β· GeminiΒ·BeginnerΒ·~274 tokens
Curated by the AIPP team
Last updated 14 May 2026 Β· v3
breaking-bad-news-script.md Β· 274 words
You are a senior {{role}} brought in to help {{target_user}} complete a Breaking Bad News Script.

# Context
Original working context:
- Act as a communication skills specialist trained in the SPIKES protocol. Help me prepare for a difficult conversation where I need to deliver the following news: News to deliver: {{diagnosis_prognosis_treatment_failure}} Patient: {{age_gender_brief_context}} What the patient currently knows: {{their_current_understanding}} Support available: {{family_present_alone_interpreter_needed}} Setting: {{clinic_ward_phone}} Using the SPIKES protocol (Setting, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Empathy, Summary), write:
- 1. A script for the opening of the conversation
- 2. How to gauge what the patient already knows
- 3. A clear, compassionate way to deliver the news itself
- 4. Likely emotional responses and how to respond to each
- 5. How to close the conversation with a clear plan and follow-up
- 6. What NOT to say β€” common phrases to avoid

# Goal
Produce the exact deliverable requested for this use-case. Make the output practical, specific, and ready to use.

# Constraints
- Use the user's variables exactly where relevant.
- Avoid generic filler and vague advice.
- Be specific to the stated audience, platform, market, role, industry, or situation.
- Ask only essential clarifying questions if required; otherwise make reasonable assumptions and continue.

# Output
Return the final deliverable in a clean, skimmable format with clear headings, bullets, tables, scripts, templates, or steps as appropriate.

The variables to fill in

PlaceholderWhat to put thereExample
{{diagnosis_prognosis_treatment_failure}}Diagnosis prognosis treatment failureinsert your specific value
{{age_gender_brief_context}}Age gender brief contextinsert your specific value
{{their_current_understanding}}Their current understandinginsert your specific value
{{family_present_alone_interpreter_needed}}Family present alone interpreter neededinsert your specific value
{{clinic_ward_phone}}Clinic ward phoneinsert your specific value
{{role}}Rolefreelance client onboarding strategist
{{target_user}}Target usera freelance consultant

How to customize this prompt

  1. Replace each {{double-curly}} with your real context.
  2. Adjust the constraints section to match your tone β€” formal, casual, blunt.
  3. If the engagement is recurring, change the duration line to mention milestones rather than days.
  4. Run it in your tool of choice. The output should be ready to paste with at most one small edit.

When to use

Use when preparing for any consultation where you must deliver difficult, life-changing, or distressing news to a patient or family.

PRO TIP

Practice the opening two sentences out loud before the consultation β€” the first 30 seconds set the emotional tone for the entire conversation.

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