title: Patients' expressed and unexpressed needs for information for informed consent.
abstract: Informed consent is the practical application of the principle of autonomy, and two of the five core features of informed consent are related to information. Researchers have reported on patients' expressed needs for information, such as their stated desires for the quantity of and the source of information. A separate body of research has examined patients' unexpressed needs for information from the perspective of cognitive psychology, such as the emotional tone and order of information. This article suggests that the autonomy of patients is best served by meeting their expressed and unexpressed information needs for in tandem.
authors.affiliation: Saint Louis University's Center for Health Care Ethics, USA. rvolpe@slu.edu
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Volpe
mesh_terms: D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000941:ethics; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors