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Truth Telling, Confidentiality, and the Dying Patient: New Dilemmas for the Nurse
Author(s) -
High Dallas M.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
nursing forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.618
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1744-6198
pISSN - 0029-6473
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-6198.1989.tb00811.x
Subject(s) - confidentiality , truth telling , active listening , empathy , psychology , nursing , social psychology , medicine , psychotherapist , psychoanalysis , law , political science
The issues of truth telling and confidentiality, although less dramatic than foregoing life‐sustaining treatments, are among the most important for any professionally moral relationship between a dying patient and nurse. The ethical dilemmas for the nurse caught in the middle are described. The interdependence of truth telling and keeping confidences is discussed. Guidelines for open communication and empathic listening are suggested.