The Process of and Factors Influencing the Formation of Doctors' Attitudes Toward Truth-Telling

Abstract

The process of doctors formulating their attitudes toward truth-telling in the care of dying patients was examined, and factors influencing the process were analyzed based on an interview survey of 38 doctors. Learning of conventional ways of handling information in medicine, clinical experience, and personal beliefs were the major factors found to determine doctors' attitudes toward truth-telling.
Doctors conform to the current practice of not telling the truth to patients because of instructions by superiors, the need for team care, dominant social norms, and the fear of responsibility in initiating new methods. In terms of clinical experience, both interaction with specific patients and the necessity of an efficient routine in case management affect doctor behavior. Since each doctor's personal philosophy is considered to be the basis of his or her attitude toward truth-telling, most doctors avoid interfering with the decisions of other doctors, and view teaching ethics in medicine rather skeptically.