ABSTRACT
Current debates on personalised medicine bring many of the underlying assumptions that shape our understanding of people as patients to the fore. Among these, respect of autonomy, including full information for the patient and the patient’s opportunity and ability to make a responsible choice, range high. However, recent interview studies (Polzer, 2005; Wöhlke et al., 2013; see also Chapter 11, this volume) indicate that the sheer amount of information to be conveyed, the complexity of the treatment and high expectations on the patients’ side make it hard to arrive at an informed consent in the full sense. Having the choice to make use of therapeutic and preventive means, it seems, can also be a burden for the patient.
