Phil 380 week 7 Discussion: On Telling Parents the Truth

Find the item, “On Telling Parents the Truth” in the Learn section of Module 7: Week 7. Lipkin offers a number of justifications for lying to patients in at least some situations. Given what you have learned from the Learn material, address the following questions about the article:

1. Lipkin offers a number of reasons to justify lying to patients. What are these? Do you think they justify lying, or is there an alternative to lying?
2. How would you ethically classify the author: Utilitarian? Deontologist? Virtue ethicist? Support your selection.
3. A nurse with over 20 years’ experience once confided to the instructor that “nurses lie regularly to their patients. They are not usually big lies, just little things. It’s often the only way we can get them to cooperate and do what we need them to do.” Evaluate this claim. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Solution: Phil 380 week 7 Discussion: On Telling Parents the Truth

Lipkin presents several justifications for potentially withholding or distorting information when communicating with patients. One of the justifications is the complexity of medical information. Lipkin argues that medical information is often complex, making it difficult to convey “the whole truth” to patients (Lipkin & Munson, 1979). He uses the various presentations and outcomes of diseases such as cancer and arthritis which can lead to different perceptions and understandings among patients as most people’s ideas about medical terms are founded on what they have about a few cases rather than the facts. The second justification is selective hearing and misinterpretation as he points out that patients may selectively hear or misinterpret medical information, especially when they are anxious or distressed, obscuring the intended message and leading to misunderstandings (Lipkin & Munson, 1979). Thirdly, Lipkin stresses the importance of taking the patient’s preferences and emotional responses when disclosing medical information and acknowledges that some patients may not want to be told the truth about their conditions especially fatal ones, while others sensibly handle the truth (Lipkin & Munson, 1979). Considering this, Lipkin suggests that withholding or selectively disclosing information to prevent irrational or destructive behavior may be justified……Please click purchase button below to get full answer for $5

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