Patient Autonomy and Informed Consent: The Core of Modern Day Ethical Medical

The UN Charter of Human Rights says: ―All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.‖ In the words of Judge Cardozo, ―Every human being of adult years and sound mind has a right to determine what shall be done with his own body; a surgeon who performs an operation without his patient‘s consent commits an assault, for which he is liable‖. This in complete contradiction to the Hippocratic Oath, which is the Oath taken by most medical graduates in the world.

The most important principle for modern medical ethics is respect for patient autonomy, informed consent and patient confidentiality. The goal of informed consent is to respect patient autonomy and enable him to make decisions regarding his medical care, of his free will, without coercion, after understanding fully what he is consenting for. The Principle of Autonomy, its implications on informed consent and patient care situations will be dealt with in this paper.