Prevalence of and Factors Associated With Patient Nondisclosure of Medically Relevant Information to Clinicians

Key Points Question What medically relevant information do patients withhold from their clinicians, and why do they do so? Findings In 2 national, nonprobability online surveys of 4510 US adults, most participants reported withholding at least 1 of 7 types of medically relevant information, especially when they disagreed with the clinician’s recommendations or misunderstood the clinician’s instructions. The most commonly reported reasons for not disclosing information included not wanting to be judged or hear how harmful their behavior is. Meaning Patients commonly withhold medically relevant information from their clinicians, a pattern that likely inhibits the quality of patient care.