Informed Consent: Supporting Patient Autonomy

Informed consent is one of the foundational ethical principles in health care that supports patient autonomy, or stated differently, the patients right to self-determination. More and more the standard for what clinicians should inform patients about the risks benefits and alternatives of treatment are no longer determined by what a responsible body of physicians deems important, but rather by what a reasonable patient deems important. What is needed to meet that goal is a collaborative communication process between clinicians and patients that integrates the best evidence available with the patients values and preferences to promote high quality health care decisions. In the United States at least half of the states have adopted the reasonable patient standard regarding informed consent.

This episode of EthicsLab Essentials is led by lead contributor Rachelle Barina, VP – Mission Integration at SSM Health based in Wisconsin and is in conversation with two nationally known guests:

• Dr. Jenny Heyl, Director of Ethics at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis
• Dr. Kayhan Parsi, Professor of Bioethics at the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics: Loyola University Chicago

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