Informed consent - meaning and definition
Alsoinformed agreementinformed decision
Definition
Informed consent is agreement given after a person has received and understood the relevant information, including risks, benefits and alternatives.
At a glance
- Agreement only counts if a person knows what they are agreeing to.
- In medicine and research it is a formal ethical and legal requirement.
- It covers risks, benefits and alternatives, explained without pressure.
- Deception about things that matter, such as secretly removing a condom, can undermine it.
In detail
In medicine and research, informed consent is a formal ethical and legal requirement: a clinician or researcher explains what a procedure or study involves, what could go wrong and what the options are, and the person decides without pressure.
In relationships and intimacy, the same principle applies more informally. Agreement is only meaningful if people know what they are agreeing to. Concealing an STI status where disclosure is legally or ethically expected, secretly removing a condom, or misrepresenting a relationship arrangement can all undermine informed consent.
In a sentence
- Before the procedure, the nurse went through the consent form to make sure it was informed consent.
- Being honest about your relationship arrangement is part of informed consent.
Where the word comes from
The principle grew out of medical ethics after the Second World War, including the Nuremberg Code of 1947. The exact phrase "informed consent" became common in medicine and law from the late 1950s.
Common questions
What does informed consent mean at a doctor's appointment?
It means a clinician explains what a test or treatment involves, the possible risks and benefits and the alternatives, and you decide freely. You can ask questions, take time to think and say no.
How does informed consent apply to relationships?
Agreement to intimacy rests on honest information about things that matter to the decision. Hiding something a partner would reasonably need to know, or misleading them, can mean their agreement was not truly informed.