Truthfulness: telling the patient the truth
- Principle
Patients have a right to know the truth about their health, told with tact and at the pace they want.
What it is
Telling the truth builds trust and lets patients take part in their decisions. Decades ago many doctors hid serious diagnoses; today most patients say they want to know, and the evidence does not support the fear that truth, told well, causes harm. Truthfulness does not require bluntness: information is given sensitively and according to what the patient wants to know. In Colombia, Law 1751 of 2015 recognises the right to clear, appropriate and sufficient information, and Law 23 of 1981 asks for a supportive attitude and prognoses with a scientific basis.
What it requires
- Disclose diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options and their risks and benefits.
- Ask how much the patient wants to know and respect the answer.
- Do not lie or give false hope; you may pace the information and choose the moment.
- Use plain language and check understanding.
- Also disclose errors that affect the patient.
In clinical practice
- Faced with «don't tell him he has cancer», explore the family's fears and explain how the news will be given with care.
- If a patient prefers their daughter to receive the information, that is respected as their informed choice.
- In cultures where the family decides, ask the patient how they want their information handled.
- Truth about the prognosis allows planning of end-of-life care and advance directives.
Limits and exceptions
- Therapeutic privilege: only with evidence of real, foreseeable harm (for example, imminent suicide risk); it is recorded and reviewed.
- Right not to know: a capable patient may waive information in an informed way.
- Law 23 of 1981, art. 11: supportive attitude, avoid comments that cause needless worry and give no prognosis without scientific basis; art. 18: in serious situations, inform relatives or close persons and the patient when that helps resolve their problems.
- Decree 3380 of 1981, art. 14: the duty to inform relatives or close persons applies only when they are present.
- Official texts checked on 2026-11-05 at funcionpublica.gov.co.
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Who is the first to receive information about a capable patient's health?
The patient. The family is informed with the patient's permission or in the cases the law sets.
What are the two narrow exceptions to the duty to tell the truth?
Therapeutic privilege, when there is evidence of real, foreseeable harm, and the patient's right not to know.
What should be done if the family asks to hide a serious diagnosis from the patient?
Talk with the family about their fears, explain that the news will be given with care and ask the patient how much they want to know.
What patient right does Law 1751 of 2015 recognise in article 10 item d?
To receive clear, appropriate and sufficient information from the treating professional to make free, aware and informed decisions.
Connections
Educational content on ethics and health law; not legal advice. Laws and case law change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, read the text in force and ask a lawyer or the medical ethics tribunal.
Sources: Truth-telling and Withholding Information (University of Washington, Department of Bioethics & Humanities, 2018); Ley 23 de 1981, por la cual se dictan normas en materia de ética médica (Función Pública, Gestor Normativo, 1981); Decreto 3380 de 1981, por el cual se reglamenta la Ley 23 de 1981 (Función Pública, Gestor Normativo, 1981); Ley Estatutaria 1751 de 2015, que regula el derecho fundamental a la salud (Función Pública, Gestor Normativo, 2015); SPIKES: a six-step protocol for delivering bad news: application to the patient with cancer (Baile WF, Buckman R, et al.) (The Oncologist, Oxford University Press, 2000).
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.