Truth-telling and confidentiality concept applies majorly in the healthcare sector. First, truth-telling refers to that situation where a medic faces a dilemma of whether to disclose vital information about a patient's health. On the other part, confidentiality refers to the case where a healthcare attendant is required to keep information about a client's health status private. In this case, the medic is not supposed to share information with unauthorized persons. For medical practitioners to meet the requirements of the Truth-Telling and Confidentiality recommendation, there is the need to look at some factors.
When exercising truth-telling and confidentiality, doctors should evaluate the patient's disease. Martin et al. argue that in some cases when patients learn about their conditions, they are likely to develop adverse situations such as suicidal intentions (369). For cases such as depression, the doctors should be careful with how they convey the message to their clients. In this instance, Doody and Noonan, reveal that the doctors enjoy a therapeutic privilege that allows them to withhold information (804). Another issue is that in some cases the patients might decide that they do not want data about their condition. With such consent, the physicians, therefore, are obliged not to divulge. However, it is important to note that the above examples are exceptions. When doctors are dealing with normal patient experience, it is vital that they exercise Truth Telling since this helps in choosing an effective treatment plan.
Confidentiality is a consideration in the professional ethics of physicians. However, in some instances, certain exceptions arise. As such, it becomes necessary for doctors to consider a special way of practicing confidentiality. In some cases, patients might be too sick to make decisions for themselves. Consequently, it becomes needful for the doctor to engage the next of kin about the client's condition.
Works Cited
Doody, Owen, and Maria Noonan. "Nursing research ethics, guidance and application in practice." British Journal of Nursing 25.14 (2016): 803-807.
Martin, Benjamin M., et al. "Designing an ethics curriculum to support global health experiences in surgery." journal of surgical research 187.2 (2014): 367-370.
