The patient is a member of the team, not just the recipient of the surgical technique. It is crucial for the patient to understand the risks as well as the benefits of the surgery; just as it is crucial for the surgeon to understand the impact of the surgery and its recovery period on the patient’s life.
I’ll use the old joke:” the surgery was a success, but the patient died” to stress the need for communication. There are many types of deaths, other than mortal-emotional, spiritual, quality of life, etc.
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