[Consent in everyday medicine]

In its legal sense, the term 'consent' finalises an agreement between two parties. When the care relationship is a long-term process, consent becomes a dynamic interaction between patient and caregivers, resulting in a fragile compromise which is continuously being brought into question by the unpredictable nature of the illness. Based on a holistic approach to the concept of autonomy, the decision-making process should take into account both the rationality of the deliberation and the individual's specific preferences. When a patient is no longer able to give consent, autonomy and beneficence form part of a dialogical relationship.