Informed consent matters
We all know that 'consent' is vital for any course of action to be both morally and legally valid. But did you know, where it comes to medical decisions, 'consent' alone is not enough? Medicine in the UK is governed by the Montgomery ruling, which underlines the necessity - not just of consent - but of informed consent. If a patient doesn't give their fully informed consent to a treatment, then those who administer it could be acting illegally.
So, what is informed consent?
According to official UK healthcare guidelines, informed consent means that doctors must provide patients with information about all material risks of a treatment. That means they must disclose any risk to which a reasonable person in the patient's position would attach significance.
Did you know that some of the Covid vaccines, for example, come with a risk of serious heart disorders, like myocarditis and pericarditis? This information is on the UK Government's website, and most people would consider it significant. Yet this, and other vital information, is not reliably communicated to patients when seeking their consent for vaccination.
Informed consent is the founding principle of ethical medicine, as it allows you to make medical choices that are right for you - knowledgeably, confidently, and freely. That is why this resource exists: to ensure you have the full facts, and that your consent is fully informed.