All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions

Ep56 “When Should We Lie for the Greater Good?” with John Ioannidis

Feb 12, 2025

This discussion features John Ioannidis, a Stanford professor renowned for his insights into medical research reliability. He delves into the ethical quandaries of medical honesty, questioning if it's justifiable for doctors to withhold information for a patient's benefit. They explore how trust in healthcare has been damaged, particularly during the pandemic, and emphasize the necessity of transparency and shared decision-making. The conversation also touches on the long-term effects of misinformation on vaccine hesitancy and why restoring public confidence is crucial.

34:10

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Episode guests

John Ioannidis

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Quick takeaways

The erosion of trust in healthcare has been exacerbated by perceived dishonesty during the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting public health compliance.

Paternalistic attitudes in medicine risk undermining patient autonomy and can lead to long-term distrust between patients and healthcare providers.

Deep dives

The Erosion of Trust in Medical Experts

Recent years have witnessed a decline in public trust toward medical experts, significantly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This erosion of credibility has resulted from a perception that healthcare professionals have occasionally prioritized short-term goals over transparency. For instance, during the early days of COVID, officials downplayed the effectiveness of masks to conserve supplies for healthcare workers, which left the public feeling misled when recommendations changed later. Such actions foster skepticism regarding expert opinions and highlight the essential need for medical professionals to maintain their credibility for effective public health communication.

Intro

5min

Ethics and Trust in Public Health Decisions

5min

Exploring Vaccine Hesitancy Post-Pandemic

2min

Ethics of Truth-Telling in Medicine

18min

The Dilemma of Truth in Medical Research and Public Trust

4min

Is it acceptable for doctors to lie to their patients, or withhold some of the truth, if it’s in the patient’s best interest?

In this episode, hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen welcome back John Ioannidis, professor of medicine at Stanford University, to discuss the ethical implications of concealing the truth in the medical world, even when it’s for the greater good.

The conversation touches on the importance of building and maintaining trust in healthcare, cases where that trust has been tested or fractured, the paternalism mindset in medicine, the potential biases in medical research funding, and why building back trust in healthcare is a steep climb.

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All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions Podcast is a production of the UPenn Wharton Lauder Institute through University FM.