DISCLOSING ILLNESS IN CHILDREN

Disclosing Illness in Children



Disclosing Illness in Children

Introduction

The problem of communicating the truth to the sick is part of the complex and challenging physician-patient relationship, and represents a crucial point. Even the nurse is involved, their responsibilities related to plan assistance, and in collaboration with the medical teams in the approach of the patient. The current socio-cultural trends that affect medical practice in different ways, and most attention to the dignity and rights of the subject-patient (autonomy and need of "informed consent"), moving increasingly to the full Patient Information about the disease, its course, and therapy. However, it is still common practice of physician silenced or "manipulating" the truth in some way, especially when the prognosis is severe or prognosis (e.g. cancer) and the patient experiences serious difficulties to accept it, raising fears rash reactions, or adverse effects on the therapeutic process (Danieli 1998, pp. 78).

Deontology & Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that prescribes the moral subject performing the action, among those most accessible to him, that produces the greatest positive impact. This is a paradigm of moral philosophy teleological system, because the moral evaluation of the action focuses solely on the result.

Utilitarianism, since its first formulation, proved highly ethical reform in determining the transition from so-called ethical "classics" to modern ones; through the displacement of the moral point of view from the private intentions of the agent (Beauchamp & Childress 2001, pp. 321), the final consequences the action. In a strictly bioethical sense, this attitude translates into a radical condemnation of '"ethic of the sanctity of life", or a religious moral (Stürchler 2006, pp. 156). However, it does not only do that, since there are also secular versions, which recognizes a value on human life absolute regardless of its features and quality.

The traditional ethic of the sanctity of life ethic is deontological, that predicts the existence of an absolute duty, which always takes precedence over any other duties (Beauchamp & Childress 2001, pp. 321). It is completely opposite to utilitarianism, since the latter, providing utility maximization as its sole obligation. Deontology is foreign to the idea that there is any other duty that enjoins respect for life itself, as a value in itself regardless of the consequences of this for sentient individuals.

It is the notion of "quality of life," according to the contribution to the bioethics of utilitarianism, the notion truly decisive in the formulation of moral judgments about life, care and death. Since, this principle is perfectly consistent with the principle that utilitarian requires the maximization of the satisfaction of interests (Beauchamp & Childress 2001, pp. 321); it is in the interest of every individual to live their lives if it has sufficient quality, i.e. can be lived in an acceptable condition.

The evaluation of the quality of life does not respond to any objective standard or universally established, but it is primarily the same subject. It follows that life has no intrinsic value, that should not be protected as a pure biological event, but ...