Is there a moral duty for doctors to trust patients?

W. A. Rogers

doi:10.1136/jme.28.2.77

Is there a moral duty for doctors to trust patients?

W. A. Rogers^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

63 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

In this paper I argue that it is morally important for doctors to trust patients. Doctors' trust of patients lays the foundation for medical relationships which support the exercise of patient autonomy, and which lead to an enriched understanding of patients' interests. Despite the moral and practical desirability of trust, distrust may occur for reasons relating to the nature of medicine, and the social and cultural context within which medical care is provided. Whilst it may not be possible to trust at will, the conscious adoption of a trusting stance is both possible and warranted as the burdens of misplaced trust fall more heavily upon patients than doctors.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	77-80
Number of pages	4
Journal	Journal of Medical Ethics
Volume	28
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.28.2.77
Publication status	Published - 2002
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Copyright retained by the author(s). Article originally published in Journal of Medical Ethics, Volume 28, Issue 2, pp. 77-80. The original article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jme.28.2.77. Article archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author and according to publisher conditions. For further information see http://www.bmj.com/.

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10.1136/jme.28.2.77

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Cite this

@article{3a506789b38c4aa49ade47a19c978f53,

title = "Is there a moral duty for doctors to trust patients?",

abstract = "In this paper I argue that it is morally important for doctors to trust patients. Doctors' trust of patients lays the foundation for medical relationships which support the exercise of patient autonomy, and which lead to an enriched understanding of patients' interests. Despite the moral and practical desirability of trust, distrust may occur for reasons relating to the nature of medicine, and the social and cultural context within which medical care is provided. Whilst it may not be possible to trust at will, the conscious adoption of a trusting stance is both possible and warranted as the burdens of misplaced trust fall more heavily upon patients than doctors.",

author = "Rogers, {W. A.}",

note = "Copyright retained by the author(s). Article originally published in Journal of Medical Ethics, Volume 28, Issue 2, pp. 77-80. The original article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jme.28.2.77. Article archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author and according to publisher conditions. For further information see http://www.bmj.com/.",

year = "2002",

doi = "10.1136/jme.28.2.77",

language = "English",

volume = "28",

pages = "77--80",

journal = "Journal of Medical Ethics",

issn = "0306-6800",