A relook at the Informed Consent

Abstract

Informed Consent is the corner stone of patient Autonomy. It is a vital part of contemporary medical practice. The purpose of IC is primarily to protect the rights of patients and a guide to ethical practice in medicine. It is a document of mutual agreement or contract with ethical and legal binding. In the Indian context, physicians have had a paternalistic attitude towards their patients. Thus IC was practically nonexistent till the Consumer Protection Act was made applicable to the medical profession. With the increasing awareness among patients, it’s imperative that the physicians need to be well informed about the current guidelines.

Keywords

• Informed Consent
• medical practice
• patients