Truth Telling

Question 1

What is Collins Viewpoint on truth telling?

Answer 1

Doctors should lie to help their patients

Question 2

What are the four types of patients Collins outlines in his paper?

Answer 2

1. Those who want to know
2. Those who do not want to know, and would be injured by it
3. Those who are incapable of handling the truth
4. Those who do not need the truth

Question 3

What does Collins deem to be acceptable lies/unacceptable lies?

Answer 3

Unacceptable:
1. Pretending to know a diagnosis
2. Claiming success without justification
3. Declaring a condition uncurable

Acceptable:
1. Reassuring while omitting truth
2. Preserving Hope
3. Partial Truths for Patient Well being

Question 4

What does Robert Higgs say about doctors being able to lie?

Answer 4

Doctors should tell the truth

Question 5

Why should healthcare practitioners tell the truth?

Answer 5

1. Informed consent
2. It negates autonomy to be lied to
3. Lies erode trust in the medical system
4. Allowing lies can lead the abusee of power.

Question 6

What are the 3 common arguments against truth telling in medicine? What are their counterarguments for truth telling?

Answer 6

1. It is difficult for patients to understand a technical subject - Informed guesses are made regardless, and depriving information is immoral (negates autonomy through no informed consent)
2. Patients do not like hearing sad/frightening news
   1/5 of patients deny being told diagnoses, but 2/3-3/4 of them declared they would wish to know the truth
3. Truthfulness can harm / hinder healing
   Suicide patients are relatively uncommon, and can be argued that truth telling was not done in the right way, not that it’s the problem