BIOA01H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Active Listening, Metastasis, Therapeutic Relationship

• School: UTSC
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BIOA01H3
• Professor: Danillo Viana

Document Summary

The health professions expressed little concern for truthfulness in their ethical code and are indeed somewhat unique with respect to norms of truth-telling. Truthfulness was assigned a subordinate place in relation to benefiting the patient and preventing harms. In the first place, being truthful w/ patients is less associated w/ harm than it used to be: ex. There is a greater recognition of the therapeutic benefits of information disclosure in general. Pts have the right to know the truth, even if disclosure is likely to be harmful. Arguments for and against truthfulness in health care. The main arguments on either side of the issue depend on how one situates truthfulness in relation to two other values: beneficence, respect for autonomy, truthfulness and beneficence. The main argument given in defence of limited disclosure and even deception is that health professionals have a duty to prevent harm to patients and telling the truth may very well cause harm.