Question

Should a provider tell the truth to a patient with terminal illness when the family does not want the provider to? The family member's premise is that the patient stated would just kill himself if he was ever diagnosed with the disease because of what he witnessed with his brother. How would you approach this situation?

Answer 1

A successful relationship between
patients and health care providers de-
pends on the establishment of trust,
which is stronglyconnected with truth-
ful communication . On that basis,
truth-telling is considered to be an
ethical issue as well as a moral obliga-
tion by a large number of health care
professionals . Similarly, patients
expect that their health care providers
will tell them the truth, just as health
care providersexpect that their patients
will tell them the truth. It has also been
suggested that disclosure of truth fosters
trust and is an essential element of the
respect owed to the patient as a person
.Therefore, the disclosure of truth
aidsthewhole process ofestablishingan
optimum patient–carer relationship.

Another purpose of information
giving is to reduce uncertainty and to
provide a basis for action . It ena-
bles patients to make informed choices
about their own health careand plan for
theirfuture.It prevents harm,as patients
who are not informed about their situa-
tion mayfail to get the medical support
that they need . Better knowledge
affects patient and family responses in
different clinical situations . engag-
ing patients in their care and securing
their collaboration, leading to patients’
adherence to the therapeutic or pal-
liative scheme