Ethical Dilemma:Therapeutic Nondisclosure

摘要

Practitioners are sometimes faced with the task of disclosing a diagnosis and/or prognosis to patients with life-threatening or incurable illnesses. Cultural taboos, religious beliefs, and fears are barriers to having candid discussions of death and dying. These barriers can influence practitioners' ability to disclose information to patients and families and may delay treatment and decision making. Despite these common difficult situations, truth telling is central to communication between patients and their practitioners and is inherent in the doctrines of informed consent and of cultural competence. This article will discuss the practitioner's use of clinical guidelines and ethical decision making while caring for Mrs. Yu, an Asian woman with a terminal diagnosis whose family requested nondisclosure.