Question

Should a physician always be honest with the patient; Why/why not?

Answer 1

The saying “truth is always bitter but the fruit is not” holds good in many vital instances and has been advocated by the philosophers since time immemorial. Therefore, the health care professionals as well as the physicians are always expected to exhibit a heightened level of truthfulness and honesty to their patients and clients. But, there are many instances when the partial concealment of the facts can go a long way in benefiting the patient indirectly. This brings us to the million-dollar question of whether the health professionals must always hold their ground to honesty or if in certain circumstances the partial concealment of facts from the patient is justifiable for their greater good.

One of the primary reasons why the physician must always stand by the path of truth is their obligation to the ailing patient. The obligation arises from the respect towards the patient. Letting the patient know the details or the information and the procedure to be adopted, allows the patient to choose what suits better to their overall wellbeing. Lying or concealing facts at this point of time is generally considered as a breach of trust of the patient towards the physician. Moreover, presenting the entire information to the patient makes the patient more confident and thus they are willing to cooperate more. The patient or client has the complete right and autonomy to plan their course of treatment. And this can only be achieved only when they are aware of the entire prognosis and diagnosis of the condition. This will in turn strengthen the patient-physician trust. On the other hand concealment of facts may lead to unusual distress and disharmony.

How novel may our intention be behind telling the truth but sometimes revealing the facts completely may not benefit as a whole. There are various instances when the patient is not willing to receive the details of the procedure on their own and therefore ask the details to be divulged to their near ones. Moreover, they are completely dependent and ask the physician to decide the course of action that best suits them. Say for example a patient does not want to take a look at their blood reports and wants the reports to shared with their family. In such a situation divulging the details to the unwilling patient can also diminish the patient-physician trust. Treating the patient with all the truth must be the primary obligation of the physician but, whenever there is a conflict of interest, in such cases the facts can be altered for the greater good. In such a situation telling a truth can be more vicious than concealing some facts.

Therefore, telling the truth must be considered as the best way to deal with on the ground of morality. But, sometimes the best way may not be the necessary way at the times of conflict and health care professionals must take necessary action weighing the advantages and disadvantages