Is Your Doctor Lying To You? 1 in 10 Lie to Patients

A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines.
~Frank Lloyd Wright

A recent survey says that 1 in 10 doctors have knowingly lied to a patient. The survey further reveals that 50% of doctors admitted to describing a patients prognosis in a more positive manner than warranted, 1/3 did not completely agree with disclosing medical errors, and 40% do not feel any obligation to disclose financial ties to drug or medical device companies. So even the 9 in 10 that don't lie may not be completely honest.

The survey respondents were not asked why they lied, or given a chance to explain the lies. Most of the articles I've read on this subject go on to guess about why doctors might lie to patients. The researches feel stated that dishonesty can make patients "less able to make health care decisions that reflect their values and goals."



Note: It is possible that the survey respondents were lying when they answered the survey questions.

Something else I learned: 400 shades of lipstick found to contain lead.