The workshop “Ethical Challenges in Clinical Practice: A Discussion of Case Report & Communication” was facilitated by Frank Elsner, with the support of co-facilitator Irem Ozgoren Kınlı. The session focused on the ethical and communicative challenges that emerge in clinical practice, particularly in situations where healthcare professionals need to deliver difficult or distressing news. Participants explored communication in healthcare not only as a doctor–patient interaction, but as a broader process involving healthcare providers, affected persons, families, and care teams, with the shared goal of achieving the best possible outcome.
A central part of the workshop addressed breaking bad news, with particular attention to the SPIKES protocol as a structured approach for sensitive communication. Participants watched and discussed different video examples of bad news delivery, reflected on the role of empathy, authenticity, active listening, interpretation of hidden messages, and mirroring, and shared their own perspectives as a group. Through case-based discussion and interactive exercises, the workshop highlighted that ethical clinical communication requires more than transmitting information; it demands emotional sensitivity, respect, clarity, and the ability to respond to each person’s needs, fears, and values.
