Information et consentement

Abstract

Providing information for patients is a pre-requisite to obtain appropriate patient's consent for a research project or for health care. After having been fully informed, the patient can decide whether or not to participate in the suggested procedure. In a dentistry private practice context or for aesthetic surgery, the treatment contract reflects the specificity inherent in the fee-for-service system. Recognizing the place of the patient's consent is recognizing the right of patients to autonomy. Consent is a counter-weight to that medical paternalism which has long shackled patients in the inferior position of dominated/dominator relationships; it marks the end of medical imperialism. The consent, as based on the patient's autonomy, creates a new equilibrium in medical team/patient relationships. Law n^o 2002-303 of March 4, 2002, which deals with patients' rights and the quality of the health system, is a crucial text in terms of patient/care provider relationship.