Abstract
Objective: To expose the difficulties faced by physicians in transmitting bad news to patients. Bibliography review: Studies show that physicians who use the SPIKES protocol (the most used protocol today) as a basis when communicating bad news, find fewer difficulties during this action. It is evident that this kind of dialogue is inevitable during the period of the health professional's performance, so he/she needs to develop skills that aim to transmit difficult diagnoses and prognoses in an adequate and empathetic way. Communication is a dynamic and open process. In health care, it ranges from communicating news to obtaining information. "Bad news" is considered as all the information that generates an extreme and negative change in the life of the patient and his family in the vision of his future. Final considerations: In view of these motivations found, it can be seen that there is a deficit in the curricula of medical schools in relation to the communication of difficult news to patients and their families, since many physicians find this task difficult.