ABSTRACT
Consent was seen as a formality, a preamble to treatment. Informed consent is an essential part of the ethical practice of medicine. Valid informed consent describes the shift in primary care medicine to guide rather than dictate an individual’s health care decisions. Informed consent is a needed process in which the patient learns and understands the purpose, benefits, and potential risks of medical or surgical intervention. Informed consent is about patient’s understanding and willingness to participate in any study and not about signing a form. The ethics literature regarding informed consent emphasizes that it is not an event, but a process that precedes the “signing” of the document and continues for as long as the choice remains relevant. Disclosure to the patient does not relieve a physician, an institution, the government, or even society from the responsibility of being ethical.
