The Wish to be Informed of a Fatal Illness

Abstract

The Gallup Organization was commissioned to ask a representative sample of the adult population of the United States the question: “If you had a fatal illness would you want to be told about it, or not?” Nine out of ten people interviewed said they would like to be told if they had a fatal illness. While there are some differences by groups, a large majority of all groups would like to be informed. Once people become ill they may have a change in their wish to know about a fatal illness which must be taken into account by the treating physicians.