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Ethical Scenario 18
Are there any situations where a healthcare professional is justified in lying to a patient?
Excellent Candidate Response
No, you should never lie to a patient. Your role is to provide them with honest, clear information such that they understand their health, and the decisions to take around it. There may be positions where you choose to withhold information - perhaps to deliver it in a better setting, defer to a senior clinician to break bad news, etc. Additionally, a patient may prefer not to be told about their diagnosis or only to receive limited information, however this is at their discretion rather than the discretion of the clinician.
No, you should never lie to a patient. Your role is to provide them with honest, clear information such that they understand their health, and the decisions to take around it. There may be positions where you choose to withhold information - perhaps to deliver it in a better setting, defer to a senior clinician to break bad news, etc. Additionally, a patient may prefer not to be told about their diagnosis or only to receive limited information, however this is at their discretion rather than the discretion of the clinician.