Health care practitioners are ethically bound to respond to the needs of the patient at the end of life, but they are also ethically bound to practice fidelity.
Discussion Question
1. When asked in a survey if they would ever withhold the truth about a terminal or pre-terminal diagnosis from a patient in order to keep his or her spirits up, physicians’ responses were:
“Most of the time, I tell them exactly as it is; they need to know the truth, and who am I to judge what they should or shouldn't know? However, if the patient is very frail emotionally and physically and has a very supportive family, I may not.”
“It's not about hiding information. It's learning how to talk to patients and giving bad news in the best way possible. All the information should be given, but any positive that exists should be also talked about.”
“The truth, delivered with compassion, is a gift.”
“I think patients deserve total honesty from their physician. They want to know.”
“An elderly patient who is senile will not understand, benefit, or prepare, so it is senseless to inform them. However, a family member, next of kin, or whoever is the health proxy will be notified.”
Which of the preceding statements most closely matches your opinion? Explain your answer.