The Use of White Lies During Covid-19 Pandemic

Background: Although telling lies is an unethical act, it is not uncommon in health care system. Hence, its prevention and management necessitate interventions to manage its underlying causes. The aim of this study was to explore the patients with covid-19, their families and healthcare workers’ experience of white lies during covid-19 pandemic in Iran.Methods: In this qualitative study we used content analysis approach. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 50 participants consisting of healthcare workers, patients with covid-19 and their families at teaching hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2020. Data were analyzed using Granheim and Landman’s method. We used MAXQDA-12 software for data management and analysis.Findings: The participants consisted of 23 female and 27 male with the mean age of 35 ± 6.3 year. A total of 3201 codes were obtained from data analysis, which were later classified into 5 main categories (social stigma, media inconsistencies, fear and uncertainty, negligence, and breaking free from quarantine) and 11 subcategories.Interpretation: In pandemic situation, providing clear and honest information at the community level can prepare the public mind to accept the facts. In this regard, health care officials and the media must provide reasonable and clear information to minimize and control the spread of rumors in the community during the pandemic.Funding Statement: This study is part of the correspondent author’s PhD dissertation at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (project number: 9421199004). Authors would also like to thank the University for supporting this project financially.Declaration of Interests: All authors declare that they have no significant competing interests that might have influenced the performance of the work or presentation of the article.Ethics Approval Statement: This research was carried out under the supervision of Ethical Committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences with the code: IR.TUMS.VCR.REC.1397.568. All participants were asked to sign a written consent form after being informed about the study’s objectives and method. Confidentiality of the data and the possibility of early withdrawal were also explained to the participants.