[Informed consent in neurology]

Informed consent has remained in the medical tradition but the scale of values and human rights have changed. Today the emphasis is on a human being's right to autonomy, his personality and power to make decisions. At the same time, the doctor-patient relationship has undergone considerable changes. It has evolved from one of paternalism based on the old idea of charity, to one in which the principle of freedom is prevalent whereby it is the patient who has the right to decide the type of medical procedures to be used on him. This idea is recognized as such in the General Health Act of 1986. It has therefore become obligatory for the medical profession to abide by this Act. To do so the patient must be given sufficient information regarding the medical procedures to be applied in his case in particular, including all the risks and advantages as well as any possible alternatives, so that the patient is able to play a part in choosing the most suitable treatment. By law this information must be written down. This is essential to create protocols or medical guide-lines to orientate both the patient and the judge in the event of a demand action as to whether the medical procedure was in accordance with the lex artis or not in each case (lex artis ad hoc). We wish to encourage our colleagues to create a model such as we present, indicating what we consider to be essential points to be included in guide-lines in order to achieve uniform criteria throughout the country thereby facilitating the work of medical assessors and judges. We encourage the scientific societies involved and the corresponding medical departments to form a working party to draw up these medical guide-lines in order to achieve the maximum agreement possible.