Disclosing Bad News to Patients: Balancing Culture and Autonomy

Effective communication between healthcare providers and patients is a cornerstone of medical practice ethics. Delivering bad news, which would significantly alter a patient's perception of their well-being, varies across cultures. While Western medical ethics prioritize patient autono-my, many countries in the Middle East and North African (MENA), including Libya, adhere to a family-centered approach, that often involves withholding bad news from patients with the intention of mini-mizing emotional distress. This paper explores the ethical and cultural dilemmas of truth disclosure, highlighting the role of inadequate train-ing in soft skills, and proposes a culturally sensitive framework to balance patient autonomy with social customs.