The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth: Therapeutic privilege

Abstract

The term therapeutic privilege is unfamiliar in the medical field and often sparks questions and discomfort about its ethical implications. Therapeutic privilege refers to the act of withholding information by a clinician, with the underlying notion that the disclosure of this information would inflict harm or suffering upon the patient. This is a case of a 56-year-old woman who presented to our facility under critical conditions. She developed sepsis with acute respiratory failure, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. Prior to her admission, her husband had been admitted at our facility's intensive care unit. On the same day when our patient was extubated, her husband had died. The palliative care team was consulted to assist with disclosing this information to the patient in light of her emotional fragility, her anxiety, and concerns for her ability to receive such news given her own active illnesses.

Keywords: Advance directive; informed consent; medical ethics; palliative care; therapeutic privilege.