What is the primary purpose of informed consent?

The primary purpose of informed consent is to ensure that patients fully understand the nature, risks, benefits, and alternatives of a proposed treatment or procedure before agreeing to it. This process fosters a collaborative relationship between patients and healthcare providers, empowering patients to make well-informed decisions regarding their own care.

Informed consent is rooted in the ethical principles of autonomy and respect for individuals, allowing patients to retain control over their health decisions. This understanding is critical for trust in the patient-provider relationship, as it helps patients appreciate the implications of their choices in a healthcare context.

While fulfilling legal obligations and protecting healthcare providers from liability are important aspects of informed consent, they are secondary to the fundamental goal of ensuring that patients are adequately informed and understand what they are consenting to. Documenting patient history is a different process related to clinical care management rather than the primary objective of informed consent itself.