Physicians frequently encounter ethical dilemmas in all aspects of patient care. The resolution of these dilemmas should always be achieved with a focus on maximizing benefits for, respecting the preferences of, and minimizing harm and suffering to the patient. Patients should be briefed on all of their treatment options, including potential risks and benefits, prior to treatment. Competent patients, or in some cases, their surrogates, have the right to withdraw consent for any intervention, at any time, for any reason. A physician is ethically and legally obliged to keep a patient's medical information confidential except in isolated cases, in which the patient is at risk of harm to self or others