Never Say ‘Die’: Why So Many Doctors Won’t Break Bad News

Doctors who avoid giving patients a fatal diagnosis clearly deny those patients the time to prepare for their death

Dr. Ron Naito, an internist in Portland, Ore., was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in August 2018. His doctor wouldn’t confirm the terminal diagnosis, even though Naito read the test results and understood what they meant. Michael Hanson for Kaiser Health News

After nearly 40 years as an internist, Dr. Ron Naito knew what the sky-high results of his blood test meant. And it wasn’t good.

But when he turned to his doctors last summer to confirm the dire diagnosis—stage 4 pancreatic cancer—he learned the news in a way no patient should.