Introduction
This topic covers how a doctor decides what to tell a patient about diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, when information may be partly or temporarily withheld, and how to deliver bad news in a way that respects the patient's dignity, autonomy and emotional needs. It links the ethical principles of veracity, autonomy and beneficence with practical communication skills that examiners expect you to describe step by step.
Truth-telling as an ethical duty
Truth-telling is the default obligation of the physician. A patient who is deceived cannot make a genuinely informed decision about their own body, and trust in the whole health system depends on honest communication. Veracity is not absolute in the sense that every fact must be volunteered at every moment, but a doctor must never actively lie or create a false impression.
- Lying means stating something known to be false or deliberately misleading; it is not acceptable in routine practice.
- Withholding means not volunteering information at a given moment; it can be ethically acceptable if it is temporary, respects the patient's wishes, and does not mislead.
- Honesty must be balanced with compassion: the way a truth is framed and paced matters as much as its content.