Truth-telling or honesty is seen as a basic moral principle, rule, or value. It involves telling the facts openly, honestly, and unambiguously. In healthcare, truth-telling fosters trust in the medical profession and rests on the respect owed to patients as persons. Withholding information or otherwise deceiving the patient is seen as morally impermissible. The justification given for truth-telling may be that it is a basic moral principle, rule, or value. Some ethicists call for basic principles or values of lucidity, veracity, and honesty. Another line of reasoning is more “utilitarian”: truth-telling just works out best for everyone in the end (“honesty is the best policy”) .

Truth-telling is especially important in speaking with patients about the unfortunate realities of their illnesses, about uncertainties and risks associated with treatment or research protocols, and about medical mistakes. Truth-telling is thus at the heart of informed consent. Beyond these responsibilities of individual clinicians, truth-telling is an important principle in the structuring of health care systems to act honestly and to foster accurate disclosure of information.

Deception, on the other hand, is the purposeful act of leading another individual to adopt a belief that one holds to be untrue, through either direct misinformation or incomplete information. Lying creates the need for more lies to cover one’s tracks, and the whole process winds up being a chain of falsehoods that eventually spirals out of control.

Truth-telling can involve activities at local, state, national, and international levels. For example, it can involve official apologies, truth and reconciliation or other inquiries and commissions, memorials, ceremonies, and public art. It can happen in community halls and churches, in museums, cultural or educational healing centers and institutions, local councils, and in schools, TAFEs, and universities. Local truth-telling is particularly powerful, especially when it occurs in small communities where people are able to develop personal relationships through the process, or build respect and understanding. Historical acceptance cannot occur without truth-telling.

In summary, truth-telling involves telling the facts openly, honestly, and unambiguously. It is seen as a basic moral principle, rule, or value, and is especially important in healthcare. Deception, on the other hand, is the purposeful act of leading another individual to adopt a belief that one holds to be untrue. Truth-telling can involve activities at local, state, national, and international levels, and is particularly powerful when it occurs in s...