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- A physician bears a duty of candor towards the patient and he shall inform, fully and comprehensibly, his patient on the true status of his health, the content and results of the medical act proposed, the consequences and the possible risks from its performance, the side-effects, the alternatives and the possible time of cure, so that the patient may shape a complete picture of the medical, social, economic factors and consequences of his condition and proceed with his decision.
The duty to inform is less clear when it is a matter of prediction or when there is no further possible therapy for a patient’s condition. However the patient has the right to be informed in these cases as well.
- There is no obligation to inform the patient in writing, thus the right to information in Greece is solely on an oral basis.
- The Code of Medical Ethics of 2005 stipulates a right not to know for the patient and an obligation to respect this right for the physician. In these cases, the patient is entitled to ask the doctor to inform exclusively other persons suggested by him. These persons shall receive information instead of the patient. The content of the information does not change because the recipient is not the patient himself. In certain cases, the right not to know is not absolute, when not informing would seriously cause harm to the patient or third parties.
- The therapeutic exception should be applied only in specific circumstances and the physician has the burden of proving that the withholding of information from the patient is justified for therapeutic purposes.
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