A physician, Dr. Suscan, had a patient, Robert Moore, a 55-year-old white male with a history of complex heart problems, hypertension, and unstable ventricular arrhythmias. When he came in complaining of leg cramps and limping, Dr. Suscan suspected a blockage in his abdominal aorta and recommended trans lumbar aortography to locate the block. Mr. Moore was very frightened. The procedure carries some risk, including anaphylactic response, and rarely, paralysis or death. Standard procedure calls for informing the patient and obtaining written consent, but Dr. Suscan was concerned that telling Mr. Moore of the risks would frighten him enough to cause problems with his heart. She took her case to the ethics committee and asked for 'therapeutic privilege' to omit to get consent for the procedure.

Do the potential psychological harms to the patient from learning about the risks of the diagnostic tests justify withholding information?

Should physicians be allowed the right of 'therapeutic privilege," i.e., the right to unilaterally decide that information is too harmful to be shared with a patient?

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The situation described raises important ethical considerations regarding patient autonomy informed consent and the concept of therapeutic privilege I... View the full answer