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Bad news in oncology : How physician and patient talk about death and dying without using those words

We focus on the socialization of patients to the process of death and dying by examining actual interactions among medical practitioners, patients, and their family members. Our data consist of three medical interviews. In each one, the oncologist delivers the news that the patient's cancer is no longer treatable. Although not stated, the implied message is that the patient will soon die. Because, in these episodes, the same doctor is attempting to convey a similar message to three different patients, we can compare the ways in which the patients respond to the message and thus affect the delivery of the news. In various practical ways, both physician and patient exhibit interactional caution in discussing death and dying.