[Informed consent--on the right of self-determination].
The idea of informed consent asks for the right of self-determination which is very difficult to achieve. Human life does not depend on one's will, and neither does suffering. That is human being does not control one's own life, even though one must be responsible for it. The right of self-determination has long and struggling history. As a result we have acquired the concept of informed consent. And then the physician-patient relationship is no longer considered to be based on paternalism and now the new model is seeked for. All human beings are mortal and cannot inevitably escape suffering. Therefore we must consider the physician-patient relationship as the one based on equality. The problem of self-determination should arise from this understanding.
Okada
M
M
Asahikawa Medical College, Japan.
D005610:Freedom; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations