Informed consent in Missouri: where has it taken us?

Between 1987 and 1990 there has been an increase in the number of medical malpractice claims in which lack of informed consent was the sole allegation. This should alert physicians to the need for a better awareness of recent changes in the doctrine of informed consent. Some states have liberalized the scope of the disclosure made to the patient, but Missouri has resisted any further doctrinal expansion in this area. In contrast, changes in the law relating to the doctor/patient relationship are more universally applied and permanent. It is clear that any actual treatment or nontreatment decision remains solely a right of the patient (parent or surrogate). Easily applied guidelines for obtaining informed consent that incorporate these changes are suggested.