Breaking bad news

A year or so ago, I was a house officer, busy scurrying around the wards taking blood, prescribing fluids, and stealing the odd moment for myself. One evening on ward cover, I was bleeped by a nurse, who asked me to certify a patient who had just died. The family was also about to arrive, but were not yet aware that their relative had died. Would I come and break the news? My answer came quickly: “No problem.”

I had been a house officer for about two months, and already I could feel …