An ethical dilemma. Is it ever acceptable to lie to a patient?
Ethical decision-making, and the choice of whether or not to be truthful, is an important part of everybody's life. For nurses, decisions such as these are made every day and affect not just themselves, but also the lives of others. This article will examine the ethics of truth-telling from the point of view of a theatre nurse dealing with a seriously ill patient.
Fowler
Esther
E
Emergency Theatres at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, NHS Grampian.
D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D008192:Deception; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics; D008297:Male; D018447:Medical Futility / Q000941:ethics; D016294:Models, Nursing; D008960:Models, Psychological; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology; D009871:Operating Room Nursing / Q000941:ethics*; D028662:Principle-Based Ethics; D014342:Truth Disclosure / Q000941:ethics*