Truth telling, confidentiality, and the dying patient: new dilemmas for the nurse.

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.