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Article History

Received: 15 July 2023

Accepted: 3 October 2023

First Online: 3 November 2023

Disclaimer

: I declare that the views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and are not affiliated with the University of South Africa or its funders.

: According to the Declaration of Helsinki, the ethics committee of the University of South Africa and the study areas reviewed the research proposal and provided permission to conduct the study. Therefore, a certificate of research ethics approval and ethical certificate was obtained from the University of South Africa research ethics review committee. The institutional review board of St Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College provided ethical clearance. Furthermore, a written permission letter to conduct the research was obtained from the selected study areas prior to beginning the research.

: In this research, all the methods used to collect data were performed according to the Declaration of Helsinki. The study participants were informed and provided with adequate information on the purpose of the study, benefits, and any potential risk. Furthermore, the participants knew that their participation was entirely voluntary; they had the right to refuse or withdraw from the study, and their ultimate decision did not affect the care they were receiving. Written consent was obtained from the study participants prior to the interview when the prospective participant was willing to participate in the research.Trustworthiness in qualitative research is maintained to maintain the quality of the research [CitationRef removed]. Credibility: Some of the study participants were asked whether their reality or views were fully represented.Reflexivity: The researcher’s self-awareness, background and experience allowed for a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. The researcher described his background and experiences. The researcher is an indigenous insider of the study population, which offers an advantage in understanding cultural rituals, values, beliefs and practices. Moreover, he has the experience of working in palliative care and is charged with the ultimate responsibility of breaking bad news to patients and family members. Self-reflectivity- the researcher carefully observed how his experience influenced what he observed, how he understands the participants’ point of view and the participants’ experiences to minimize indigenous insider influence. Being aware of this helped to keep to the participants’ perspectives. The participants’ perspectives were interpreted and described from their emic views.Transferability: Transferability was enhanced through purposive selection of the participants who had knowledge and experience in breaking bad news. In addition, it was enhanced by providing thick descriptions of the findings.Authenticity: All relevant responses from the participants were taken into account. The findings were validated by some of the participants to ensure their perspectives. Moreover, peer review by experts in the field and with academic supervisors buttressed the authenticity of the results.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.