Truthfulness and realism in prognosis for better recovery
We tend to trust doctors more than any other professional. They look after us when we are sick and provide the advice and treatment necessary to aid recovery. Or at least they should. Recent evidence suggests that actually doctors can be a lot less truthful in their prognosis than you would expect. If this is the case, how can patients make informed decisions about their treatment in order to get on the road to recovery as quickly as possible?
The reasons doctors might hide the truth
All doctors take the Hippocratic Oath before they begin to practise. This oath is set out to ensure that they do no harm to their patients. The problem with the Hippocratic Oath is that sometimes the distinction between harmful and necessary information can be a little blurry to say the least.
Take the instance of a serious road traffic accident. If the injuries sustained by the patient are severe, or even potentially terminal, many doctors would argue that telling their patients just how serious those injuries are could cause more harm than good.
When a patient is in severe pain, many doctors argue that information relating to the here and now is far more important than what the future might bring. They might feel that telling a patient that their injuries will continue to affect them for the rest of their lives, or even cause them to lose their lives within a short amount of time, is far more damaging to their emotional health and well-being.
The point is fair. "Never do harm" is one of the most important aspects of the Hippocratic Oath. If a doctor feels that telling the patient the full extent of their injuries will cause them undue emotional distress, then one can see why they might withhold this information. Whether this is the right thing to do, on the other hand, is a matter for discussion.
Assisting recovery by being honest
The reality is that people deserve to know the truth about their condition, in order to make the best choices regarding their care and recovery. What doctors need to consider is how they go about informing the patient.
Doctors tend to focus on treating a patient, rather than a more holistic approach to patient care. By being honest about a prognosis, patients retain the autonomy to make their own decisions with regards to their course of treatment. It is widely accepted that patients who feel they are in control of their treatment have a far better chance of recovery from their injuries.
A victim of a serious road traffic accident needs to retain that autonomy in order to assist their recovery. After all, the accident is often not the victim's fault, which means that any degree of control that is handed back to them will have an incredibly positive effect when it comes to them recovering from their injuries.
Doctors need to be honest with their patients so that the most appropriate course of treatment can be administered. Keeping patients in the dark about the options that are available is incredibly damaging and can result in a recovery time that is far longer than it should be.
Zoe is a British blogger who loves to discuss all things legal online. She has written this post in collaboration with Hughes Carlisle, helping you get the road injury claims you deserve. To get in touch with Hughes Carlisle about your family law issue, send an email or write to the following address:
7500 Daresbury Park, Daresbury, WA4 4BS