In his paper, Nudging, informed consent, and bullshit, William Simkulet accuses doctors of being bullshitters when they knowingly influence patient decision making through means other than argument and reasoning, that is, through ‘nudges.’ In these instances, he contends that they care little about patient understanding or communicating the truth about the options and, instead, care only about presenting alternatives in ways that cause patients to do what the physicians think they should do.2

However, doctors can intend to enhance patient understanding at the same time that they try to influence patients’ choices. . To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.