Informed voluntary consent

Informed voluntary consent is an important legal document that protects doctor, medical organization and patient. Due to a great number of controversial issues and defects in filling out the form, it is necessary to discuss this theme in details.Informed voluntary consent is the voluntary and conscious acceptance by the patient of medical interventions proposed by a medical professional (medical organization), based on his receipt of complete, objective and comprehensive information about the upcoming treatment, its possible complications and alternative methods. Voluntariness and awareness are the two main conditions for obtaining medical consent. Properly executed informed voluntary consent allows medical organizations to avoid adverse consequences, including financial ones. Properly compiled documentation is a powerful tool for protecting the doctor and the medical organization in future possible conflicts with patients.The article examines the evolution of ideas about the role of patient consent to treatment. The main features of the category “informed voluntary consent” are highlighted. Some approaches to its definition are presented. The main regulatory legal acts regulating the subject area under consideration are described. The content of the informed consent form is considered. Problematic issues such as carrying out medical interventions without consent, issues related to the legal capacity of patients, issues of re-signing informed voluntary consent when replacing the attending physician, inclusion of insurers in the system of legal relations, etc. are covered.