Thomsen O O, Wulff H R, Martin A, Singer P A
Medical Department C, Herlev Hospital (University of Copenhagen), Denmark.
Lancet. 1993 Feb 20;341(8843):473-6. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(93)90218-6.
This survey concerns the variation in attitudes among European gastroenterologists to truth telling in cases of cancer. Gastroenterologists in all parts of Europe were asked to consider a case of colonic cancer and to state what they would tell the patient and the patient's spouse. 260 replied. Gastroenterologists in northern Europe would usually reveal the diagnosis to both the patient and the patient's spouse, but some would inform only the spouse with the patient's permission. They would sometimes embellish the truth if the cancer had metastasised. Gastroenterologists in southern and eastern Europe would usually conceal the diagnosis from the patient, in many cases even when the patient asked to be told the truth. Most, however, would tell the spouse the full truth about both diagnosis and prognosis. The variation probably reflects differences in both doctors' attitudes and patients' expectations.
这项调查关注欧洲胃肠病学家在癌症病例中对告知真相的态度差异。欧洲各地的胃肠病学家被要求考虑一个结肠癌病例，并说明他们会告诉患者及其配偶什么。260人进行了回复。北欧的胃肠病学家通常会向患者及其配偶透露诊断结果，但有些人会在得到患者许可的情况下只告知配偶。如果癌症已经转移，他们有时会对真相有所粉饰。南欧和东欧的胃肠病学家通常会对患者隐瞒诊断结果，在许多情况下，即使患者要求被告知真相也是如此。然而，大多数人会将诊断和预后的全部真相告诉配偶。这种差异可能反映了医生态度和患者期望两方面的不同。
