informed consent (redirected from Women's right to know)

in·formed consent (n-fôrmd)

n.

Consent by a patient to a surgical or medical procedure or participation in a clinical study after achieving an understanding of the relevant medical facts and the risks involved.

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informed consent

Etymology: L, informare, to give form, consentire, to sense

permission obtained from a patient to perform a specific test or procedure. Informed consent is required before most invasive procedures are performed and before a patient is admitted to a research study. The document used must be written in a language understood by the patient and be dated and signed by the patient and at least one witness. Signed consent should be obtained by the person performing the procedure. Included in the document are clear, rational statements that describe the procedure or test. Also required is a statement that care will not be withheld if the patient does not consent. Informed consent is voluntary. By law, informed consent must be obtained more than a given number of days or hours before certain procedures, including therapeutic abortion and sterilization, and must always be obtained when the patient is fully competent. An individual must be of a certain legal age to give consent; laws vary from state to state. Compare implied consent.

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informed consent,

n 1. an aspect of research in which the consent of the subject is obtained and the subject is informed of possible risks and benefits from participating in the research.
2. consent to medical procedures/treatment given by a patient after the potential risks, hazards, and benefits of the treatment have been explained.

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informed consent,

n an agreement by a patient, verbal or written, after being told in sufficient detail of possible risks, to have a procedure performed.

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consent

in law, voluntary agreement with an action proposed by another, e.g. agreement to treat, to euthanatize. Consent is an act of reason so that the person consenting must be sane and of sufficient age to be capable of giving consent. Written consent is an agreement in writing.

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informed consent

agreement to a proposition when the consenting person is in possession of all of the facts relevant to the decision. In the eyes of the law the consent of a client to a surgical operation, to a financial expenditure, to euthanasia carries no authority unless the client is fully informed about what is to be done and what the alternatives are. If this is not done the client is entitled to sue for damages if the outcome is unsatisfactory.

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informed consent

Medtalk A voluntary, legally documented agreement by the Pt to allow performance of a specific diagnostic, therapeutic, or research procedure. See Emergency doctrine, Informed decision, Malpractice, Therapeutic privilege doctrine.