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Say your answer out loud first, then jot down the key points you made. Writing it helps you spot gaps — and it's what the AI feedback reads.
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Understanding that information belongs to the patient, balancing honesty with compassion, and handling family requests sensitively.
A structure to build your own answer on — not a script.
Identify
The patient's right to information and autonomy versus the family's wish to protect her (their view of her best interests).
Whose information
The diagnosis belongs to the patient. A capable adult is entitled to know, and it affects decisions about treatment and her remaining time.
Engage the son
Explore his fears and knowledge of his mother; acknowledge his love; explain why the doctor can't agree to withhold.
Ask the patient
Find out how much she wants to know and who she wants involved. Some patients genuinely don't want details — that is their choice, not the family's.
How, not whether
Break news sensitively using SPIKES; offer support; involve family if she wishes.
A strong but not perfect answer. Read the notes to see why it works — then make your own version with your experiences.
The conflict here is between the son's wish to protect his mother and her right to know about her own health.
I'd start with the son, because he's clearly frightened. I'd want to understand why he thinks the news would destroy her — he knows her far better than the team does1, and he might have important insight, like how she's coped with bad news before. I'd acknowledge that he's asking out of love.
But I'd explain gently that the information belongs to his mother2. If she has capacity, she has the right to know about her diagnosis, and she may have decisions to make — about treatment, where she wants to be cared for, and things she wants to say or do. Keeping it from her could also damage her trust, and many patients sense that something is wrong, which can make them feel more isolated.
The key is that it isn't the family's decision about how much she's told — it's hers. So the doctor should ask her how much she'd like to know and who she wants with her. Some people genuinely don't want the details3, and if she says that, it should be respected.
Then it's about how the news is given — in a quiet setting, at her pace, with support, perhaps with her son present if she wants him there.
So I wouldn't agree to withhold the diagnosis, but I'd work with the son rather than against him, and let his mother guide how much she learns.
Real interviews are won and lost here. Answer each one aloud.