Professional honesty is about the physician knowing the limits of his or her own competence and when to refer to someone else for help. There is nothing shameful about not knowing the solution to a medical problem. It is dangerous to fake competence or pretend to know things. A statement by the Medical Council, Disclosure of harm, acknowledges that all medical treatment carries risk and encourages physicians to disclose where a patient has been harmed as the result of their medical care. The Council quotes research that indicates a patient is more likely to complain if a physician fails to disclose harm to the patient, or if the disclosure is not done in an open and honest manner
