title: Respect for patient autonomy.
abstract: Respect for patient autonomy creates the following obligations: informed consent, confidentiality, truth-telling and effective communication. Patient autonomy is becoming increasingly important in postmodern medicine and is changing the nature of the doctor--patient relationship.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ethical Issues, University of Stellenbosch. KM@sun.ac.za
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moodley
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003219:Confidentiality; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D028701:Patient Rights; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D014342:Truth Disclosure