ABSTRACT
The survey done in the Czech Republic in recent years has shown that Czech patients did not accept informed consent in its original meaning. This could be due to retardation of democratic processes in a post-communist country. An alternative interpretation leads to an understanding this non acceptance as call for physicians of high moral quality. In developed countries informed consent is generally accepted as a tool for asserting the autonomy of patients. Informed consent is a good instrument to preserve the self-determination of patients accessing medical technology. Preserving the right of self-determination is a problem in post totalitarian Czech medicine and a lot of work is required in this area. In the interviews patients emphasized trust as an important part of their relationship with physicians. McIntyre's effort to introduce virtues in contemporary philosophical ethics aroused many objections. Physicians constitute distinct professional communities. Some guiding principles of these communities are different to those principles common in the majority of society.
