Truth-telling and patients' diagnoses in optometric practice in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The doctor-patient relationship is crucial to health care services including eye care. Telling the truth is an important aspect of this relationship in ensuring safe and effective treatment and management of patients.Method: A qualitative study using one - on- one in- depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). Forty four respondents comprising 10 eye care practitioners (ECPs) and 34 patients were recruited. The ECPs were between 32 to 51 years while the patients were between 18 and 50 years old.Results: Common lies told were mainly about age, onset or duration of condition, medications used prior to their visit to the doctor's and level of compliance to doctor's prescription. Others were about health status, history of self-medication and social habits like smoking and/or drinking. Reasons for telling some of these lies included fear of early retirement, fear of being judged or stigmatized, lack of privacy during clerking and embarrassment from being caught in a previous lie.Conclusion: Untruths and manipulation of information can damage the relationship between doctor and patient because it leads to distrust and this can compromise eye care. Keywords: Truth, doctor- patient, relationship, diagnoses