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Consent: a practical guide
Author(s) -
Khoury BS,
Khoury JN
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
australian dental journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.701
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1834-7819
pISSN - 0045-0421
DOI - 10.1111/adj.12301
Subject(s) - paternalism , autonomy , ignorance , health care , balance (ability) , power (physics) , informed consent , paradigm shift , medicine , nursing , psychology , public relations , law , political science , alternative medicine , philosophy , physics , epistemology , quantum mechanics , physical medicine and rehabilitation , pathology
Societal change through an increase in knowledge and accessibility of education as well as a push for autonomy has contributed to a shift in the balance of power from clinician to patient (especially in the last 20 years). This drive for personal autonomy has seen a shift from medical paternalism, a consequence of ignorance, to personal autonomy, a continuously evolving by‐product of 17th century liberalism as expressed and facilitated by access of information. Consequently, patient‐centred care has become the new standard for health care involving a two‐way communication process of shared information and informed decision‐making. At its centre is the patient's right to accept or decline treatment recommended by a clinician, be it detrimental or beneficial. Clinicians must recognize and appreciate this shift to patient‐centred care and its legal ramifications.