[Truth disclosure in medicine: psychological perspective].
Truth telling in medicine is difficult and stressful. Medical training teaches to mitigate pain and suffering, but death and health deterioration causes feelings of frustration among physicians. Physicians tend to conceal bad news to avoid the suffering caused by such adverse information. However, veracity is an integral part of a respectful relationship and is the basis of confidence between patients and health providers. However, confusing truthfulness with a mere exposure of all the available information is an oversimplification of the problem. Therefore the real issue drifts from "how convenient is to communicate the truth" to "how to share the information with my patient" in a setting in which he can express his feeling and thoughts. Communicating the truth is an ethical imperative. The patient has the right to be informed and the physician must provide this information timely and taking into account the capacity, interest and emotional status of the patients. Therefore prudence, warmth and bioethical reasoning are required for a good medical practice.
Bascuñán
M Luz
ML
Departamento de Bioética y Humanidades Médicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile. mbascunan@med.uchile.cl
D017007:Duty to Warn / Q000523:psychology; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D014342:Truth Disclosure