Informed consent is the process where fully informed patients can participate in choices about Their healthcare. It originates from the legal and ethical right the patient has to direct what happens to her body and from the ethical duty of the physician to involve the patient in her health care.

Elements of informed consent:

- The nature of the decision/procedure

- Reasonable alternatives to the proposed intervention

- The relevant risks, benefits, and uncertainties related to each alternative

- Assessment of patient understanding

- The acceptance of the intervention by the patient

In order for the patient's consent to be valid, he or she must be considered competent to make the decision and his or her consent must be voluntary. The doctor should make clear to the patient that he or she is participating in a decision, not merely signing a form. It is very important that the patient fully understand what will be happening.