Truth-telling to patients' terminal illness: What makes oncology nurses act individually?

Communication in cancer care: psycho-social, interactional, and cultural issues. A general overview and the example of India

“…In a study done in Taiwan that looked at nurses’ truth- telling experiences, 70% responded that they had told the truth to patients about their diagnosis. In the remainder, the reasons cited for not doing so were collusion, considering it to not be part of one’s duty, and perceiving it as difficult ( Huang et al, 2014 ). Shubha (2007) has discussed this aspect in the Indian and Chinese contexts and asserts that Western individualistic cultures tend to prioritize autonomy and self-determination in end-of-life care, which are reflected in the practices of advance care planning, informed consent, individual decision-making, and candid communication of the patient’s condition.…”

Nurses' experiences and attitudes toward diagnosis disclosure for cancer patients in China: A qualitative study

“…The exact roles and responsibilities of nurses during CDD are not well delineated . Studies have found that patients or family members might think that physicians are too busy and prefer to ask nurses about the truth about their illnesses, which creates an ethical dilemma for nurses regarding whether and how to reveal the truth . Ten years ago, Li's study found that 55.8% of Chinese nurses thought that a terminal diagnosis should not be disclosed, but Ling's study concluded that to ensure that nurses practice ethically, a narrative ethics approach should be applied and teamwork between nurses, physicians, and families should be established to support cancer patients and ensure their autonomy .…”

Truth telling in Taiwanese cancer care: patients' and families' preferences and their experiences of doctors' practices

“…Many studies on truth telling in cancer care have focused on doctors' issues in communicating with patients and their practices and perspectives of truth telling to terminally ill patients . However, medical personnel' perspectives on truth telling may be inconsistent with those of patients and their families .…”

“…10 Many studies on truth telling in cancer care have focused on doctors' issues in communicating with patients [11][12][13] and their practices and perspectives of truth telling to terminally ill patients. [13][14][15][16] However, medical personnel' perspectives on truth telling may be inconsistent with those of patients and their families. 17,18 Previous studies on patients' or families' truth-telling preferences were mostly crosssectional and enrolled subjects from single sites.…”