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Informed consent is basically the practice of informing patients of the risks and benefits involved in the provision of specific medical care. Most of the time, the patient and the health care provider are involved in the process. In instances when the patient is unable to make decisions on her own, a relative or designated proxy may make the decision on her behalf. Informed consent is also required for patients who might be included in clinical trials.
An example of appropriate informed consent can be found in the case of a patient who is about to undergo a simple surgical procedure. The surgeon should explain the procedure to the patient. She should explain the likely outcome along with the unlikely outcome, or the possible risk. This statement of risk should be couched in simple, statistical terms like "There’s a 1 in 1400 chance that the surgery could paralyze you" (not "The chance that you could be paralyzed is the same as the chance that you could be hit by a golf ball when you walk out of my office."). The health care provider should also provide the patient with alternative options and with the consequences faced by following each care pathway ("If you have the surgery now, you decrease the risk of strokes in the future. If you wait and remain on your medication, you could increase the risk of having another stroke.") The patient should also be informed of his or her right to withdraw treatment at any time. Most importantly, the physician should make sure to use common, easy-to-understand language that doesn’t confuse the patient.
The obvious benefit of informed consent is a more knowledgeable patient. When a patient is more involved in the provision of medical care, he or she has more confidence in the process. Unfortunately, procedures can go wrong – patients can be seriously injured. In our litigious culture, the more patients know, the less likely they are to sue should something go wrong.
The arguments against informed consent are sparse. Some physicians believe since they have the background and education in medicine, they should be making the decisions. Those physicians complain that when they inform their patients of highly unlikely risks involved in common procedures, their patients decide not to have the procedure. Keep in mind that not too many health care providers would make this argument. Most believe that a well-informed patient is a more cooperative patient.