Informing a Patient of Malignant Illness: Commentary From a Cross-Cultural Viewpoint

This article examines Japanese cultural attitudes that physicians have towards their patients. This article discusses why a vast majority of Japanese physicians still avoid informing a patient of a malignant illness. Case studies of patients are used to demonstrate this practice as well as to demonstrate the consequences of disclosure, such as a patientÕs suicidal ideation or suicidal acts when they discover that they have a malignant illness. The article concludes with a physicianÕs role in providing a measure of comfort in the premature ending of life. (13 refs.) (AK)