Authors

Mª Dolores Rodríguez Rabadán1, Mª José Torralba Madrid2, Eduardo J. Osuna Carrillo de Albornoz3

Position

1Enfermera especialista en Pediatría. Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales. Hospital Materno-Infantil Virgen de la Arrixaca. Murcia2Doctora. Profesora Titular. Facultad de Enfermería. Universidad de Murcia. Campus Universitario de Espinardo. Murcia3Catedrático de Medicina Legal y Forense. Facultad de Medicina. Universidad de Murcia. Campus Universitario de Espinardo. Murcia

Contact address

Mª Dolores Rodríguez Rabadán. C/ Antonio y Manuel Martínez, 20-3º D. 30012 Murcia.

Contact email: mdolores.rodriguez2@um.es

Abstract

Informed consent is based on respect for patients’ autonomy. It is a procedure of dialogue between the patient and the healthcare professional, which allows sick persons to express their decision about their body, their life and health, and professionals to respect the freedom of the former, allowing them to take the responsibility for decisions made about themselves. In their work setting, even when there is a clear duty for providing oral information, nurses conduct procedures and techniques which require (or should require) a previous informed consent in written by the person who will undergo said intervention (or their family). Publications show a controversial and sometimes wrong role of nursing professionals regarding informed consent. Demanding on some occasions that nurses must provide and obtain the informed consent for interventions conducted by physicians is an example of said conflict. The evolution of the informed consent theory, where patients are playing an increasingly decisive and autonomous role, has a full impact on nursing professionals. It is necessary to boost communication with patients, to provide a more humane treatment, and to increase the quality of care.

Keywords:

autonomy; information; informed consent

Versión en Español

Título:

Perspectivas éticas, legales y deontológicas de los documentos del consentimiento informado enfermero