Patients depend on their doctors to provide them with honest and accurate diagnosis, treatment, and medical counseling. However, this isn’t always the case for some doctor/patient relationships. Although there are no specific laws stating that doctors cannot lie or withhold information from patients, doctors are generally expected to follow a code of ethics. A patient is more likely to establish a faithful relationship with their doctor if the doctor treats the patient with respect and courtesy regarding their condition. Lying to a patient prevents the patient from making an informed decision and providing the doctor with proper consent. Medical professionals should not hide vital health information from patients; a patient should be able to
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A treatment is more likely to work if a patient believes and trusts their doctor, essentially a “placebo effect” (Ludwig and Burke). If a patient discovers that their trusted physician has broken that trust by lying or failing to convey medical information, the patient loses the ability to have faith in the doctor and their treatment plan. Patient access to truth is a right, not a luxury. A doctor would do a patient an injustice by not informing them of disease, a possible cure, or anything that could harm one’s health. Lying to a patient would be inappropriate because a patient would not be able to make an informed decision regarding their health. 94% of patients would prefer to be completely in the know when it comes to their health, even if the outcome looks unfavorable (Pantilat). Telling the truth in the first place will eliminate any potential conflict or misunderstanding. Ultimately, it would be unethical for a doctor to lie to a …show more content…
However, this attempt to protect the patient’s feelings is unjust and can break trust between the doctor and patient. Withholding a diagnosis from a patient for compassionate reasons may seem benevolent, but medically speaking, this act does not help the patient in any way. According to G. Swaminath, professionals who implement doctor ethical codes believe that “all intentional suppression of pertinent information violates a patient's autonomy rights and violates the fundamental duties of a physician.” Doctors are held to a high standard in society, and should maintain that status by not being deceptive towards patients, whether with good or bad intentions. The truth always comes out eventually, so the best option for doctors would be to tell the truth straight from the
A treatment is more likely to work if a patient believes and trusts their doctor, essentially a “placebo effect” (Ludwig and Burke). If a patient discovers that their trusted physician has broken that trust by lying or failing to convey medical information, the patient loses the ability to have faith in the doctor and their treatment plan. Patient access to truth is a right, not a luxury. A doctor would do a patient an injustice by not informing them of disease, a possible cure, or anything that could harm one’s health. Lying to a patient would be inappropriate because a patient would not be able to make an informed decision regarding their health. 94% of patients would prefer to be completely in the know when it comes to their health, even if the outcome looks unfavorable (Pantilat). Telling the truth in the first place will eliminate any potential conflict or misunderstanding. Ultimately, it would be unethical for a doctor to lie to a …show more content…
However, this attempt to protect the patient’s feelings is unjust and can break trust between the doctor and patient. Withholding a diagnosis from a patient for compassionate reasons may seem benevolent, but medically speaking, this act does not help the patient in any way. According to G. Swaminath, professionals who implement doctor ethical codes believe that “all intentional suppression of pertinent information violates a patient's autonomy rights and violates the fundamental duties of a physician.” Doctors are held to a high standard in society, and should maintain that status by not being deceptive towards patients, whether with good or bad intentions. The truth always comes out eventually, so the best option for doctors would be to tell the truth straight from the