[Informed consent. Efficient communication and autonomous decision-making]

Informed consent belongs to a new way to understand doctor-patient relationships from a perspective permitting a principle of autonomy. Seen from this viewpoint, we speak of a medical relationship understood as being a mutual relationship. For a decision to be autonomous, it must be intentional, taken after adequately understanding all the pertinent information and totally free from outside influences. We must realize that from both theoretical and practical views objections exist; these include paternalism, comprehension difficulties, or patient refusal to exercise informed consent. Informed consent presents a reality and a challenge for our profession since it is much more complex than a simple signature on a document.