Editing Terminal illness (section)

=== Doctor–patient relationships ===
[[Doctor–patient relationships]] are crucial in any medical setting, and especially so for terminal patients. There must be an inherent trust in the doctor to provide the best possible care for the patient. In the case of terminal illness, there is often ambiguity in communication with the patient about their condition. While terminal condition prognosis is often a grave matter, doctors do not wish to quash all hope, for it could unnecessarily harm the patient's mental state and have [[unintended consequences]]. However, being overly optimistic about outcomes can leave patients and families devastated when negative results arise, as is often the case with terminal illness.<ref name="Chen-2017"/>