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INFORMED CONSENT IN AUSTRALIA *
Author(s) -
Lord Reginald S. A.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.111
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 0004-8682
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1995.tb00616.x
Subject(s) - medicine , beneficence , informed consent , scope (computer science) , autonomy , alternative medicine , law , pathology , political science , computer science , programming language
Recent decisions in Australian courts affirm three important principles relating to consent to therapy. First, patients must be appropriately and adequately informed. Second, the scope and detail of the information supplied should be based on the reasonable patient's need to know rather than on the actions of the reasonable doctor. Third, the doctor must take care to ensure that the information imparted is understood by the patient. This publication reviews the basis of informed consent and traditional beneficent‐style consent. The occasions when beneficence is more appropriate are outlined.