Patients want a doctor who is frank and forthright with all of their health information in layman’s terms. This does not mean that we should disclose a patient's serious condition to the patient himself. That would be rude and hard on the patient. You can explain the condition to the pt's relatives or attendants in lay terms. When the patient himself asks about his condition, I tell the patient in detail about his condition, illustrating the same with pictures.
Giving a false sense of security to the patient just to please him or his relatives may earn you marks in the short term but in the long term, there is a danger of loosing the patient as the patient may think you have not made the right diagnosis. Maybe you can sugarcoat the bitter truth pill. But do give it to the patient or the attendants. I would like to know my colleagues' views on this point as well. Thank you.
