A group of physicians at Ohio State University developed a series of videos featuring patients talking about the pain, fatigue and depression associated with chemotherapy. Ineffective communication is a barrer to effective management of the side effects of cancer treatment. These videos are given to new cancer patients to facilitate their own conversations about their symptoms.
Someone asked what the researchers did if a new patient didn't want to view the videos. The researcher said they usually gave the patient the video anyway because the they found the patients generally benefit from hearing from the patient advocates on the video, even if it is more information than they say they want.
This seems to fly in the face of the idea of patient autonomy. But it is probably true that the patients who are initially hesitant to watch these videos ultimately benefit from them. Is it ever OK or even neccessary to tell the patient more than they want to know?
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