© MyHealthNewsDaily
Everybody lies - even doctors.
A new study finds 11 percent of doctors say that they have told a patient or a child's guardian something that was not true in the past year, and about 20 percent say they have not fully disclosed a mistake to a patient because they were afraid of being sued.
The results also show 34 percent of doctors surveyed did not "completely agree" that physicians should disclose all significant
medical errors to affected patients. Instead, these doctors said they only somewhat agreed, or disagreed.
"Our findings raise concerns that some patients might not receive complete and accurate information from their physicians," the researchers write in the February issue of the journal
Health Affairs. The findings also question whether patient-centered care - which is a philosophy of medicine that respects the preferences, needs and values of patients - is possible without more openness and honesty, the researchers from Harvard Medical School said.
While the ultimate effect of such untruths is not known, they could make patients "less able to make health care decisions that reflect their values and goals," the researchers said.
To be fair, the researchers acknowledged not knowing the circumstances under which physicians lied, and communication regarding health issues can be complex. Physicians must often wade through conflicting and confusing information as a case goes on. Telling a patient something that turns out to be wrong might not be helpful, the researchers said.
More research is needed to better understand when and why physicians feel justified in a lapse of honesty.
