Should doctors be required to tell patients that they have Alzheimer's?
Ethically doctors should tell patients the truth of the disease they are suffering from. This is a profession requirement and physicians should adhere to it. Failing to tell the patient the truth would raise trust issues. Suppose the patient is not told that, they are suffering for from Alzheimer’s or another disease; if they discover the truth later, it will be difficult to win their trust. Therefore, doctors should tell the truth about the disease early. This will help build trust between the doctor and the patient. Through this practice there will be a good relationship and help the patient to comply with the treatment needs (van den Dungen et al ., 2014).
Additionally, telling the truth will prepare the patient of the diagnosis and possible treatment procedures. When the patient knows the truth, they will be prepared psychologically of the type of treatment they will need to go through. Moreover, telling the truth will help the doctor to provide proper medical practice to the patient. Telling the truth is a mean of doing something good for the patient: it will make the patient benefit more from the medical practice. therefore doctors should not withhold the truth about the disease the patient might be suffering from; it will be necessary to provide a an effective medical care (van den Dungen et al ., 2014) .
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Do patients have a right to know?
Though the Bad news might bring shock to the patients, they have the right to be told the truth. Doctors should ensure they tell the truth to the patient at the early stages of medication and treatment. It’s an ethical requirement for physicians to tell the truth about the patients’ disease. In some instances, patients might develop a defense mechanism about their disease; therefore, the doctor should use their experience to handle it. This would be a necessary consideration especially when breaking bad news (Khalil, 2013).
How might a doctor enlist the family in breaking the news?
If the bad news of a disease that the patient is suffering from is not given in a proper manner, it may cause trauma and distress. This makes it a challenging task for the medical practitioners to break the news (Khalil, 2013). The doctors are required to prepare the family members or patients in advance before breaking the news to them. The doctor should prepare in advance on how to pass the news to the family. He or she should also prepare on how to answer the questions that may come up after breaking the news. The doctors should prepare the environment for the communication of the news. Additionally, the doctor should give the family members time to digest the news. Lastly, they should communicate clearly on the news; they should make it honest, reliable and comprehensible to the family (van den Dungen et al ., 2014)
References
Khalil, R. B. (2013). Attitudes, beliefs and perceptions regarding truth disclosure of cancer- related information in the Middle East: a review. Palliative & Supportive Care , 11 (1), 69- 78.
van den Dungen, P., van Kuijk, L., van Marwijk, H., van der Wouden, J., van Charante, E. M., van der Horst, H., & van Hout, H. (2014). Preferences regarding disclosure of a diagnosis of dementia: a systematic review. International Psychogeriatrics , 26 (10), 1603-1618.
