ASSESSMENT OF INFORMED CONSENT IN UPHDMC: BASIS FOR PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1 THE PROBLEM AND REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

AND STUDIES

Introduction Patients have a right to truth. (Thomas Percival) Personal autonomy encompasses, at a minimum, self-rule that is free from both controlling interference by others and from certain limitations such as an inadequate understanding that prevents meaningful choice. (Beauchamp and Childress 2008, 1001)

The informed consent doctrine has become a foundational precept in medical ethics and health law. Although it was practiced, it rarely achieves the whole contexts of the informed consent process. It has been implemented worldwide. And an optimal establishment of an informed consent requires adaptation to cultural or other individual factors of the patient. Legally, simple consent protects patients against assault and battery in the form of unwanted medical interventions. The patient must have been given an adequate explanation about the nature of the proposed investigation or treatment and its anticipated outcome as well as the significant risks involved and alternatives available. (K. Evans). Aside from the protection it serves, patients exercised their autonomy independently. (CMAJ, 2012) Informed consent is more than simply getting a patient to sign a written consent form. It is the process by which a fully informed patient can participate in choices about his health care. It originates from the legal and ethical right the patient has to direct what

happens to his body and from the ethical duty of the physician to involve the patient in his health care (K. Edwards, 2008). Comprehension on the part of the patient is equally as important as the information provided. In this study, we focus on the clinical practice of informed consent in UPHDMC. It does so by examining the development of indigenous peoples rights of participation, consultation, and consent in undergoing a specific medical intervention. The fundamental idea of this study is that patients should be able to tailor the disclosure process to their own values and informational needs. Generally, the purpose of this study is to assess the extent of implementation of informed consent in UPHDMC.

DEFINITION OF TERMS: Operational Defintion Age. It is basically the number of years you have lived since birth. Civil Status. It refers to the position or standing of a person in relation to marriage or the married state. Diagnosis. It connotes to the identification of a condition, or disease, by systematic analysis of the history, examination of the signs or symptoms, evaluation of the research or test results, and investigation of the assumed or probable causes. Ethical Obligations. It refers to the moral duties that health care providers are bound to do to protect their patients. An ethical obligation in informed consent includes the disclosure of the nature of the treatment plan (risk/benefits), the rights of patients and to establish goals of care with the patient. Gender. It refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. Informed consent. It is referred to the patients autonomous decision about whether to undergo a surgical procedure. The ethical purpose of the consent is seeking to respect patient autonomy by ensuring that treatment is directed toward the ends desired and is chosen by the patient. The further obligation for physicians is to disclose all the details about treatment to help the patient to make decision. The patient personally signs it of legal age and mentally capable.

Perception. It refers to the organization and interpretation of thoughts in order to represent and understand the environment. It involves the cognitive processes required to process information. The patients level of understanding in the context of informed consent. Socio-economic status. It is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person's work experience and of an individual's or familys economic and social position in relation to others, based on income, education, and occupation. Terms of legality. This refers to the extent of the agreement in the informed consent process. The legal standards that apply to obtaining informed consent vary across jurisdictions, and their interpretation continues to evolve.