disclosure

Introduction

An element necessary of informed consent:

• ensuring a patient has all the information he/she needs to make an informed decision. (also see autonomy)
• in general, physicians often underestimate how much information the patient desires.
• 2 competing standards for disclosure have been used in court cases:
  • older standard 'professional practice' determined by professional practices in physician's community
  • 'reasonable person' is what a reasonable person would want to know to make a decision

Management

• ask the patient about their preference for disclosure & participation in medicial decisions (preferable as a part of advance directives)
• if the family requests a patient should not be informed of a serious or terminal diagnosis, ask the family their reason for withholding the diagnosis

Notes

• patients are more likely than family to prefer full disclosure of a cancer diagnosis (including Middle-Eastern patients)

More specific terms

• disclosure of unanticipated outcome

Additional terms

• autonomy
• conflict of interest
• discussing poor prognosis
• informed consent/refusal