In this episode of ER , a woman s family has decided to withhold important medical information from her. However, the woman finds out she has cancer when she overhears doctors discussing her condition. According to Michael A. Williams, MD, assistant professor of neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and co-chair of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Ethics Committee, almost all patients want to know everything about their conditions, even if it s bad news. The fact of the matter is that most patients want to know everything and they can deal with it very well.
Patients have the right to know virtually everything associated with their own well-being and care.
They have a right to know their diagnosis, treatment options, the risks and benefits associated with those treatments, and their prognosis. For strong ethical and moral reasons, it s almost never appropriate to withhold information. On very rare occasions information may be withheld if, in the doctor s assessment, this knowledge would be potentially harmful to a depressed, emotionally drained, or unstable patient. A physician s obligation is to the patient rather than to the family. For example, so many health care workers are involved in the care of patients that it s impossible for all of them to know whether information was withheld.