In a recent ethics article summarizing questionnaires from 10,000 doctors, the findings showed that doctors are human with the limitations that go with it. From the article:
“Honesty is the best policy” and “the patient always comes first.”
As absolute and correct as those aphorisms may be, they can be hard for doctors to apply in the complex world of modern medicine.
A recent Medscape medical ethics survey of over 10,000 physicians found that when it comes to patient treatment, a significant number of physicians struggle when it comes to topics relating to honest, straight-forward communication, and even pain management.
Areas that are particularly focused and difficult to deal with include death and the ability to openly discuss the subject of death with patients. The article continues:
From the patient’s point of view, “If I don’t know my time is limited I can’t put my affairs in order. I can’t say, ‘I’m sorry,’” …. What’s more, “it’s not like patients are asking Dr. Kildare, ‘What are my chances, Doc?’ Patients are increasingly educated. If you don’t tell them, they’re going to be looking it up on the internet the next day, so you should probably be the source of the data, because you’re a human and you care about them.”
Read the full story at Medscape — ‘Doctor, Are You Telling Me the Truth?’ Exclusive Ethics Survey Results