Define: Informed Consent

Informed Consent
Informed Consent
Quick Summary of Informed Consent

Informed consent is a legal and ethical concept that requires individuals to fully understand the risks, benefits, and alternatives of a particular decision or action before providing their consent. In medical contexts, it entails healthcare providers disclosing relevant information to patients about proposed treatments or procedures, including potential risks and expected outcomes. Informed consent ensures that individuals have the autonomy to make decisions about their own health and well-being based on accurate and comprehensive information. It is a fundamental principle in medical ethics and is also applicable in other areas such as research participation, legal agreements, and business transactions.

What is the dictionary definition of Informed Consent?
Dictionary Definition of Informed Consent
An agreement to do something or to allow something to happen, made with complete knowledge of all relevant facts, such as the risks involved or any available alternatives. For example, a patient may give informed consent to medical treatment only after the healthcare professional has disclosed all possible risks involved in accepting or rejecting the treatment. A healthcare provider or facility may be held responsible for an injury caused by an undisclosed risk. In another context, a person accused of committing a crime cannot give up his constitutional rights--for example, to remain silent or to talk with an attorney--unless and until he has been informed of those rights, usually via the well-known Miranda warnings.
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This glossary post was last updated: 29th March 2024.

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