title: INFORMED CONSENT: THE MEDICAL AND LEGAL CHALLENGE OF OUR TIME.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the real importance of obtaining informed consent, through an appropriate form, and its role in the outcome from civil liability claims.
  
  
  METHODS
  The wordings of the current Brazilian law and jurisprudence were compared with rulings from the State Court of the State of Rio de Janeiro, in 269 civil liability claims against healthcare professionals and hospitals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Favorable and unfavorable outcomes (i.e. acquittals and convictions) were compared, and possible variations in the verdicts were discussed in relation to whether informed consent forms had been filled out or not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obtaining informed consent, by means of appropriate forms, is still not a widespread practice in the Brazilian healthcare or judicial systems. It is recommended that this practice be adopted in the manner described in this paper, since this is prescribed in Brazilian law.
authors.affiliation: Teaching institution: UNIGRANRIO (University of Greater Rio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ.
authors.forename: Luiz Carlos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Séllos Simões
keywords: Bioethics; Evaluation; Informed consent