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Essay On Withholding The Truth

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Recommended: Informed consent in healthcare

Abstract
This report discusses the problem “withholding the truth from dying patients”, which have to be considered by so many factors of dying patients. Telling the truth might cause a terrible impact on patients (Clarence H. Braddock, 2008), and withholding the truth is behavior of disrespect (Ama Kyerewaa Edwin, 2008). Hence this report is considered about both sides of doctors and patients.
Introduction
The doctors in the hospital are usually the first group of people who know the patients’ conditions, and they will face the options of telling truth to patients or withholding the truth from them. If the patient is dying, what will the option be? Currently, more physicians believed that it was correct to tell patient the fatal cancer diagnosis, and more patients would like to be told of a diagnosis of disease (Clarence H. Braddock, 2008). In this report, the result of withholding truth, the result of telling truth, and how to deal with the information that should patients know are three parts of whole content.
Body
Withholding the Truth
The white lie is usually good for the interest of others; some white lies are for concealing the truth (Ulrich Boser, 2009). However, not every behavior of withholding the truth can be regarded as a white lie.
Here is an example, which is news in Cable News …show more content…

Withholding the truth from patients disrespects the individual right of patients. Also, due to the rich professional knowledge, physicians frequently underestimate the ability of patients to accept death, but the knowledge cannot be the reason of concealing truth, patients should know their state of illnesses. (Robert Scott Stewart, 2010) From the interpersonal perspectives, this way of withholding information is bad for the doctor-patient relationship, and will make the distrust appear between them, thereby disturbs the treatment. (Robert Scott Stewart,

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