Affiliation:
1. School of Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA
Abstract
In medical practice, physicians are often faced with tough ethical and moral dilemmas, one such example is the reoccurring conflict between a patient’s hope and the truth. This paper explores two ethical dilemmas centered on compassion and the reduction of suffering: truth-telling with terminal patients and the clinical use of placebos. In each case the disclosure of truthful information could interfere with hope and suffering relief.
Subject
Philosophy,Issues, ethics and legal aspects,Medicine (miscellaneous)