Lie Hurts Than Bitter Truth
Lie Hurts Than The Bitter Truth
Truthfulness is a fundamental moral value within a society. Truth telling is considered as an important responsibility in health care field. Doctors should not lie to patients in their role of medical profession. However, some medical professionals believe that physicians should tell lies to benefit their patients.(Toscani , Maestroni &Farsides, 2006).According to Sissella Bok (2007) physicians should not lie because truth telling assists patients to deal with illness in many positive ways. It helps to deal with the illness, manage pain better, and recover faster after an illness (p489). My opinion doctors should tell truth to patients because it respects them as persons, improves public confidence, and empowers patients.
It is well observed that majority of patients need to be learned and informed what they have. “Patients should be told the truth because of the respect due to them as persons. Patients have a right to be told important information that physicians have about them” (Herbert, Hoffmaster, Glass, &Singer, 1997, p. 226). Patients do not want to be deceived by professionals. Who wants to be happy superficially only by consulting a physician? Truth telling permits to gain awareness of the situation of the patient. In addition, truth telling gives insight to make future decisions in their lives. According to Fallowfield’s study of patients, “Most patients diagnosed with a life threatening illness want to know the truth to enable them to make plans for their remaining time and arrangements for the future of their families” (as cited in Vivion,2006,p341).
Furthermore, lies undermine trust between patients and physicians. Untruths destroy patient respect. In the article, Toscani , Maestroni &Farsides, (2006) describes that some western cultures influenced by religious concepts have different attitudes towards terminally ill patients where doctors are reluctant to accept patient’s self determining rights.
In “To Lie
Truthfulness is a fundamental moral value within a society. Truth telling is considered as an important responsibility in health care field. Doctors should not lie to patients in their role of medical profession. However, some medical professionals believe that physicians should tell lies to benefit their patients.(Toscani , Maestroni &Farsides, 2006).According to Sissella Bok (2007) physicians should not lie because truth telling assists patients to deal with illness in many positive ways. It helps to deal with the illness, manage pain better, and recover faster after an illness (p489). My opinion doctors should tell truth to patients because it respects them as persons, improves public confidence, and empowers patients.
It is well observed that majority of patients need to be learned and informed what they have. “Patients should be told the truth because of the respect due to them as persons. Patients have a right to be told important information that physicians have about them” (Herbert, Hoffmaster, Glass, &Singer, 1997, p. 226). Patients do not want to be deceived by professionals. Who wants to be happy superficially only by consulting a physician? Truth telling permits to gain awareness of the situation of the patient. In addition, truth telling gives insight to make future decisions in their lives. According to Fallowfield’s study of patients, “Most patients diagnosed with a life threatening illness want to know the truth to enable them to make plans for their remaining time and arrangements for the future of their families” (as cited in Vivion,2006,p341).
Furthermore, lies undermine trust between patients and physicians. Untruths destroy patient respect. In the article, Toscani , Maestroni &Farsides, (2006) describes that some western cultures influenced by religious concepts have different attitudes towards terminally ill patients where doctors are reluctant to accept patient’s self determining rights.
In “To Lie
References: Bok, S. (2007). To Lie or Not to Lie? – The Doctor’s Dilemma. In S. Barnet, M. Slubbs, P Gold, M. (2004). Is honesty always the best policy? Ethical aspects of truth telling. Internal Medicine Journal, 34(9-10), 578-580 Kumar, P., & Clark, M. (2006).Ethics and Communication: Clinical Medicine (6th Ed.).Philadelphia, U.S.A. Schermer, M. (2007). Nothing but the truth? On truth and deception in dementia care. Bioethics, 21(1), 13-22 Toscani, F., & Farsides, C. (2006). Deception, catholicism, and hope: understanding problems in the communication of unfavorable prognoses in traditionally-catholic countries Vivian, R. (2006). Truth telling in palliative care nursing: the dilemmas of collusion. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 12(7), 341-348