Patients must know that their physicians have their best interests in mind and are telling the truth about their illness and progress. The physician is also ethically obliged to report the truth to the patient, the exact extent being debatable among different cultures. It is safe to say that most people want their doctors to tell them the truth. The only concern is the manner in which it is disclosed. One subject of much discussion is whether or not to reveal iatrogenic error.
Many physicians are reluctant to inform their patients of their mistakes.
Patients, on the other hand, want to be told of any mistakes. Legal concerns, such as fear of a law suit, are considered to be a major reason for physicians withholding information from their patients. Thus, it may be in the physician's best interest to just tell the truth. There is no universal standard for truth telling. The exploratory study reported here compares the Indian and U.S. systems, specifically on the issues of whether iatrogenic error affects treatment decisions and how mistakes are handled.