CMAJ 1991 Mar 15;144(6):681-5 Legal
obligation of physicians to disclose information to patients. Chafe SM
Obtaining a patient's consent is a
routine daily process for physicians, although many are unaware of the scope of this legal
obligation. In 1980 the Supreme Court of Canada changed the law relating to informed
consent; promotion of patient autonomy shifted the focus from a standard of professional
disclosure to one of a "reasonable patient." Physicians have a legal obligation
to disclose to patients specific information, the scope of which is determined by a court
on the basis of a reasonable patient's expectation and the circumstances of the case. This
gives rise to many controversies in the practice of clinical medicine. It is difficult for
physicians to know which treatment risks require disclosure, since this is decided by a
court in a retrospective analysis of the evidence. Will the court recognize exceptions to
the duty of disclosing information? If several health care professionals are involved in a
patient's care who has the duty to disclose information? Can this duty be delegated? This
paper provides physicians with guidelines that are consistent with the promotion of
patient autonomy and comply with the doctrine of informed consent. In addition, it
suggests ways of improving awareness of the doctrine and procedures to ease its
application.
Comments:
Comment in: Can Med Assoc J 1991 Jun 15;144(12):1604-5
PMID: 1998927, UI: 91152670 |