The greek Kairos: how and when disclose to our patient or parents what we suspect

Delivering bad news is increasingly relevant for the medical community. In our clinical practice we confront patients and their parents with diagnoses, processes and treatments, without realizing that they can be facing radical changes in their lives. This article aims to answer how and when communicate to our patients or their parents that we suspect that something is not right. To accomplish this goal we will work with two clinical cases. We will explore their circumstances. We will investigate the stages of communication and the factors involved in the process (Buckman stages). We will analyze why we do it wrong and how to do it better. We´ll conclude with a decalogue that will serve as a quick guide in these situations.