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Consent to treatment

Trust matters as much as information

Academic Unit of Psychiatry, North Wing, UMDS-St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH

The legal and moral status of the concept of consent are examined. The notion of informed consent as the sole basis for acceptable treatment is found to raise moral difficulties and to have potentially damaging side-effects on the relationship between doctors and patients. It is argued that developing trust between doctor and patient is crucial to obtaining valid consent.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C W Van Staden and C Kruger Incapacity to give informed consent owing to mental disorder J. Med. Ethics, February 1, 2003; 29(1): 41 - 43. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. DAVIES Informed consent in psychiatric research The British Journal of Psychiatry, May 1, 2001; 178(5): 397 - 398. [Full Text] [PDF]