How the Medical Staff Copes with Dying Patients: A Critical Review

Abstract

Although not conclusive, the literature reviewed suggests that as a result both of their personality structures and the training they receive, medical practitioners associate dying patients with failure and disappointment and tend to cope with death by avoiding it. Not only is the dying patient frequently neglected by physicians and nurses, but his desire to be informed about his condition is typically ignored. Although research data suggest that most terminal patients suffer no permanent negative consequences if they are informed tactfully about the true nature of their illness, the majority of physicians adhere to a policy of not sharing their diagnosis with the dying patient.