Abstract
In the area of communication with patients there continue to exist several controversial points. One of them is the problem of revealing an unfavorable prognosis when there may occur a conflict between the patient's wish to be fully informed and the wish of the physician to guard the patient against grim reality.
In such cases physicians prefer the principle of beneficence before the respecting of the patient's autonomy, while the public defends the right to "the full truth". Analyzed is the interpretation of "the right to any information" in relation to healthcare documentation, and presented are original results of a survey among physicians in hospitals.
Last year, young physicians in hospitals (n=166) to a relatively high degree (55%), experienced conflicts with patients for differences in opinion on treatment or for refusal of therapy by the patient. Even though the patient was formally granted the right to information, in reality hospitals lack rules that would allow patients to influence the communicative process according to their own needs.
Further steps as regards the problem of communicating information have to reflect the organizational context of hospital care, which would indicate more the legitimacy of patient's needs and would strengthen the role of the patient in the process of communication.