That's Fit

When your time on this planet is almost up, do you want a doctor to tell you your days are numbered? Or do you prefer to be in the dark, living your days with hope that there will be a bunch of tomorrows? Me? I think I'd want to know. I'd want to prepare, take care of any final matters, say goodbye to my loved ones.

Many people do not get straight talk from their doctors, who think they are doing patients a favor by giving them hope. New research says these docs are wrong and they aren't doing anyone any favors by keeping their lips sealed.

Being in the know can be healthy. Research shows patients were no more likely to become depressed when told they were dying than those who were not told. They were also less likely to spend their final days in a hospital -- they avoided costly care and lived out their last days perhaps at home and in the care of hospice.

It's a tough issue, whether or not to discuss grim prognoses with patients. From an ethics point of view, "it's easy -- patients ought to know," says Dr. Anthony Lee Back of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. "Talking about prognosis is where the rubber meets the road. It's a make-or-break moment -- you earn that trust or you blow it." But people react differently. Some want to know; some do not.

If it were you, how much would you want to know?