New England School of Nursing
Telling the Patient the Truth:
Issues of Culture and Communication
May 16, 2009
When
a patient has a life-threatening illness, it is very important to maximize his
or her quality of life. One way of
accomplishing this is through effective communication that reduces
psychological distress. Telling the truth about the prognosis is the foundation
of this communication. In the middle of the twentieth century, a majority of
Western physicians usually did not tell patients with cancer their diagnoses, however,
physician attitudes have changed very much during the last three decades.
Reports from Western countries have recently shown approximately 80%–90% of
physicians would tell their patients they have cancer (Ozdogan, Samur, Artac, Yildiz, 2006).
