Does a patient have the right to know everything about their condition, even if sharing the information will cause harm? Is honesty always the best? What if not telling a patient this information can make them happier or less stressful final days?
Con
If telling a patient the bad news that he has an incurable disease, for example, would only upset him and provoke fear, then the truth could only hurt the patient.
Pro
Sometimes the patient’s family might tell the doctor that they do not want the patient to know his diagnosis. They fear that the patient will be emotionally weak and would lose the will to live if he knew what he was faced with.
Con
If telling a patient the bad news that he has an incurable disease, for example, would only upset him and provoke fear, then the truth could only hurt the patient.
Pro
Sometimes the patient’s family might tell the doctor that they do not want the patient to know his diagnosis. They fear that the patient will be emotionally weak and would lose the will to live if he knew what he was faced with.