Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Observations Ethics Man

Informed consent is more than a patient’s signature

BMJ 2009; 339 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b3224 (Published 27 August 2009) Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b3224

Rapid Response:

Consent makes the law (Consensus facit legem)

Informed consent is a redundancy, because being properly informed is a precondition of consent. Without being properly informed, a patient or client cannot give any legitimate, binding consent. Therefore, it is imperative that all professionals withhold any request for agreement or signatures, until after all information and questions have been fully addressed.

Competing interests:
None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

11 September 2009
Hugh Mann
Physician
Eagle Rock, MO 65641 USA