[Sweden] Ethical reflection: The palliative care ethos and patients who refuse information

[Sweden] Ethical reflection: The palliative care ethos and patients who refuse information
Palliative Care & Social Practice; by Joar Björk; 7/25
Situations wherein a patient refuses potentially important information present tricky ethical challenges for palliative care staff. Taken as a whole, the palliative care ethos seems to recommend a strategy of using communication skills and time to try to get information across to the patient without forcing things. The recommendation is nuanced and highly contextualised, which increases its validity for clinical practice. Some meta-ethical questions are discussed regarding the use of the palliative care ethos as a source of guidance in ethically challenging clinical situations.