Examining the Aspects of Truth-Telling to Patients with the Diagnosis of Amputation: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

Background: Amputation of the limbs has been reported to be a significantly stressful event since it is generally associated with disability and affects patients' quality of life. Therefore, being aware of this problem in the treatment process is considered bad news. Truth-telling in the medical profession is necessary since it enables patients to make correct decisions regarding the treatment and healthcare process. Materials and Methods:  This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. It is conducted randomly among students, medical professors, and medical staff, with two years of clinical experience. The demographic information questionnaire and the truth-telling questionnaire of Ajzen were used here. Results: Out of ۸۶ participants in this research, ۴۵ (۵۲.۳%) were men and ۴۱ (۴۷.۷ %) were women. The average age was ۲۵.۳۱ ± ۸.۱ years. Patients' general opinion completely agreed with truth-telling and its areas. The highest level of agreement of the respondents with different dimensions of truth-telling, respectively, belongs to the behavioral dimension with an average of ۴.۷, the tendency dimension with ۴.۶, and the attitude dimension with ۴.۳. Furthermore, there was no significant relationship between this component and its dimensions with the variables of gender, age, place of service, and being a physician or medical staff. Conclusion: Truth-telling and the desire to provide diagnostic and treatment information to patients is associated with many complications, which is necessary due to the support of research, legal duties, and patients’ rights. Physicians must acquire sufficient skills in communicating with patients and providing them with information and prognosis. This issue requires permanent training in the field of presenting bad news. Therefore, in addition to the skill of physicians, patients, and their relatives should also have proper preparation to face this stage in the treatment process, public health information and awareness of the patient's rights in this field can also be valuable.

Keywords:

Truth-telling , Amputation , Medical Ethics , Patients