Informed Consent In The Doctor - Patient Relationship

Since human being is the fundamental element in a harmonious society and health is his basic right, physical and mental health should be considered as a very important prerequisite in building a harmonious society. With further development in reform and opening-up as well as people's material and cultural life, people's autonomous awareness of their own health care needs has been deepened. However, physician-patient relationship, which is thought of as one of critical elements in interpersonal relationship in harmonious society, is unprecedentedly challenged. The reasons are complicated. With the medicine changing from the pattern of organisms to organisms-psychology-social flexibility and physician-patient relationship developing from patriarchy to equal cooperation pattern between health workers and patients, A very important principle of medical ethics, informed consent, which is paid more and more attention to, will be of great significance in safeguarding patients' legitimate rights and interests and promoting better physician-patient relationship.The thesis makes an investigation and analyzes the current situation emerging in physician-patient relationship, such as hospital violence tendency, medical claim, medical malpractice disputes, health workers feeling of sluggishness and medical defense. It is pointed out the except the reason lying in national health policies and medical reform, a more important reason is the lack of patients' rights in informed consent and the lack of health workers obligation in explaining and informing. So the thesis goes deep into the theory of informed consent and some problems in practice and then elaborates on the integration of obligation and rights on both parties as well as the essence of the right of informed consent. The thesis also analyzes the barriers in practicing informed consent, and makes clear the significance and urgency of fulfilling informed consent in improving the present physician-patient relationship. The thesis finally proposes that to build a really harmonious physician-patient relationship needs to standardize the procedures of informed consent, follow the principles of respect and autonomy, change the present patterns of medicine and physician-patient relationship and initiate the equal cooperation pattern between health workers and patients.