Professional recommendations: disclosing facts and values

It is not unusual for patients and their families, when confronted with dif ficult medical choices, to ask their physicians for advice. This paper outl ines the shades of meaning of two questions frequently put to physicians: " What should I do?" and "What would you do?" It is argued that these are not questions about objective matters of fact. Hence, any response to such que stions requires an understanding, appreciation, and disclosure of the perso nal context and values that inform the recommendations. A framework for con sidering and articulating it response to these questions is suggested, usin g as a heuristic the phrasing "If I were you.../If it were me ...".