Informed Consent in a medical setting is the process in which a healthcare provider informs an adult patient about the risks, health benefits, and possible alternatives of a certain medical procedure (i.e. medical intervention, such as medication or surgery).
The idea behind Informed Consent is that a healthcare provider has the legal and ethical obligation to enable a patient making a voluntary decision without being forced about whether to undergo a medical procedure or not that will substantially affect their life, body and/or mind. It also means that — after giving adequate and complete information — the medical practitioner needs to check if the patient actually fully understands what’s going to happen and what the risks and benefits are of a given intervention.
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Mind that children (i.e. underaged persons) are thought not to be able to legally give Informed Consent. In the case of children one rather speaks about Informed Permission, which is consent given by the parents or legal caretakers.
Informed Consent with regard to medical treatments has lots in common with the so-called Wheel of Consent such as often being used in massage and bodywork treatments. Although likewise a form of Informed Consent, in massage and bodywork it’s usually called Mutual Consent.
In the latter case, consent is typically divided into four situations: the therapist who touches the client in a way that the client wants (the therapist Gives/Serves), the client who’s being touched by the therapist in a way the client wants (the client Receives/Accepts), the therapist who touches the client in a way the therapists want (the therapist Takes), and the client who’s touched by the therapist the way the therapist wants (the client Allows).
Nevertheless, Informed Consent in medical treatments usually goes somewhat further than the abovementioned massage and bodywork consent model. That is, it’s more formal in the sense that Informed Consent usually follows a procedure/protocol that’s properly documented and eventually signed by a patient (typically by signing a so-called Consent Form). As a rule, the elements that are discussed and documented are: the nature of the medical procedure, the risks and benefits of the procedure, the alternatives, the risks and benefits of alternatives, and an assessment and check of the patient’s understanding of all the former elements.
The Informed Consent protocol for medical procedures may sometimes also be applied in highly therapeutic massage or bodywork sessions, but generally in massage and bodywork the consent phase is not documented; it’s rather an oral i.e. verbal agreement between both the giver and receiver of what will and can be done (or not done) during a treatment session.
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Consent in massage and bodywork is also more limited as for the situations in which it applies. For example, Informed Consent in medical procedures is not always required, which — by the way — is often subject to the given laws and regulation in a country (or state, province). For instance, if a patient is incapacitated (for instance mentally incapacitated, unconscious, or deceased) or finds themselves in life-threatening emergencies, Informed Consent for a given intervention (such as an emergency surgery or organ donation) may not be applicable or bypassed, or a situation of Informed Permission will apply (given by a parent, partner, the family, or even by a court, etc.).
Another point of interest is that the existence of an Informed Consent model for certain medical interventions depends very much on the laws of a given country, state, or province. To give an example: eligibility for Gender Affirming Surgery varies from country to country. In many countries, you’ll find medical protocols that are taken into consideration before a person can undergo surgery, which includes psychological or psychiatric evaluation. That is, the option of undergoing Gender Affirming Surgery depends foremost on the decision of a psychologist or psychiatrist and not on the person who wants to undergo surgery.
On the other hand, you’ll also find countries or states/provinces that rather use an Informed Consent model which does not require a person to undergo formal assessment. In this case, the decision to undergo Gender Affirming Surgery is in the hands of the one who wants to undergo the surgical procedure, hence giving more independency and agency to individuals and their wishes.
Another example is that of euthanasia, which is the practice of medically ending the life of a patient to end the patient’s suffering. Typically, the patient would be terminally ill or experiencing great pain and suffering. In some countries it’s a strictly forbidden practice, in other countries a physician and psychologist/psychiatrist will be involved who need to give permission, and in again other countries the euthanasia practice rather follows an Informed Consent model.
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