The conspiracy of silence: a barrier to the truth in the elderly patient

Abstract

The Conspiracy of Silence is a barrier around the truth defined as the “implicit or explicit agreement, on the part of relatives, close friends and / or health professionals, to hide or distort the information that is given to the patient in order to hide him the diagnosis and / or prognosis and / or severity of the situation ”. It is considered a specific type of illicit alliance or pact between two that damages a third party. This usually occurs at the request of the family and is common in some cultures. On the other hand, health professionals may also consider this pact as an option sometimes easier than telling the truth to the patient, since it reduces their own stress and anxiety. In Spain, although this behavior has decreased a lot in recent years, it is still maintained and represents an important problem when itcomesto offering the bestcareto patients with serious illnesses,educational measures aimed at professionals and family members being necessary to help solve it so that all information given to patients is adapted as best as possible to their needs and requirements. It should be noted that age is not a determining factor when informing a patient about his clinical situation when he is in full mental faculties.