Delivering bad news in clinical practice: the role of communication skills and emotional intelligence among Polish healthcare professionals

Effective communication and emotional intelligence (EI) are essential to ethically grounded, patient-centred care, particularly when delivering bad news (BBN). Despite growing attention in international healthcare education, empirical data from Central and Eastern Europe remain scarce.

Methods this cross-sectional study surveyed 929 Polish healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, paramedics, midwives, and physiotherapists). Standardised instruments included the Health Professionals Communication Skills Scale (HP-CSS), the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (INTE), and the Breaking Bad News Attitudes Scale (BBNAS). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlations, and multiple regression.

Results nurses, and to a lesser extent physicians, demonstrated stronger communication competencies and higher openness to breaking bad news (BBNAS Openness). Both positive (informative communication, INTE I – using emotions in reasoning) and negative predictors (Respect, INTE II – recognising emotions) were identified. Effect sizes were small (η² ≤ 0.04; adjusted R² = 0.02–0.06), indicating that, although statistically significant, the findings had a limited practical impact.

Conclusions the findings underscore the significance of emotional intelligence and practical communication skills in equipping healthcare professionals to manage emotionally demanding interactions effectively. Tailored training integrated into medical education may foster more confident, ethical, and patient-centred BBN practices. However, the modest effect sizes suggest that multiple psychological and organisational factors contribute to readiness.