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Christal Prince
Dr. Foreman
PHIL 380-002
1 December 2021
Response Paper: “On Telling Patients the Truth” by Mark Lipkin
In Mark Lipkin’s article “On Telling Patients the Truth”, he mentions a few reasons why
lying to patients is justified. Lipkin gives examples showing that patients do not have a clear
understanding of the body and its functions so they cannot understand their diagnosis fully. He
also says that giving the patient too much information can make things worse because it causes
damage to the patient. Lipkin writes “Good physicians, aware that some may be badly damaged
by being told more than they need or want to know, can usually ascertain the patient’s preference
and needs”. Lipkin also states that a patient would be doing a disservice to themselves by
insisting to know everything pertaining to their medical issue. While these reasons are
understandable, it does not make them morally right. Knowing the full truth does not cause a
disservice to a patient because the patient has a right to know what is going on, at all times. It
may be hard or upsetting but not harmful. It would be more harmful to not know the full truth
and be surprised later on. A doctor-patient relationship should be built on a strong foundation of
trustworthiness. Even though most patients do not understand what is happening in their bodies,
they still have the right to know what is truly going on. By withholding information related to an
illness of a patient, we run into issues of negligence, untrustworthiness, and irresponsibleness.
These are negative entities to have present in a doctor-patient relationship. There would be no
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true relationship at hand. Doctors should have a clear and decisive understanding of the illness
present and communicate that with the patient fully. Lying is never justified, especially when it
comes to a person’s life, nor is there an alternative. Thus, patients should be told the full truth
and nothing but the truth, because otherwise they cannot make a clear decision on the route of
treatment.
Ethically, I would classify Lipkin as a utilitarian. Utilitarianism is a theory that advocates
for actions that create happiness/pleasure and strongly oppose actions that cause
unhappiness/harm. Lipkin believes that omitting the full truth from patients is the right thing to
do, and by doing this he is avoiding any unhappiness while still treating the patient. Lipkin also
believes that since patients almost never have a complete understanding, it is justifiable to leave
out the full truth, thus making it easier. But with lying, comes consequences, especially in the
medical field. Just like it is not justifiable for doctors to lie to patients, it also is not justifiable for
nurses to lie to patients. Most likely, patients would not even be able to know if a healthcare
worker/provider is lying to them. This is because they put their full trust in the professionals to
take care of them. If a patient were to find out they were lied to, they could easily sue the person
responsible and the hospital. This could result in job-loss as well as losing your license,
something you have worked on for years to obtain.
As a patient, myself, I would want to know every detail of what is going on. Nothing
should be omitted, certainly not for my own sake. No detail is too small to mention, nor too large
to speak of. It is truly astonishing that a medical professional would lie to a patient and yet it is a
common occurrence. Even small lies can become huge and therefore, should be avoided. I
would much rather tell a patient the full truth, regardless of how hard it may be, than face a
lawsuit and risk losing my license which I have worked so long and hard for. Establishing a true
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patient-healthcare worker relationship will make everything easier in the long haul. I believe that
stating the full truth and nothing but the truth will not only make my job easier, but also show
respect for the patient and contribute to my duty as a Christian.
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