What is informed consent?
Informed consent is a process by which individuals are fully informed about the risks and benefits of a particular decision or action and then make a voluntary decision based on that information. In healthcare, informed consent is required before any medical procedure or treatment is performed, but it is also important in many other areas, such as research, data privacy, and online services.
Informed consent matters because it is a fundamental principle of ethics and human rights. It ensures that individuals have the right to make their own decisions about their bodies and their personal information and that they are not subjected to any unwanted or harmful interventions. Informed consent is particularly important in situations where there is a power imbalance between the individual and the person or organization requesting consent, such as in healthcare or research.
From a legal perspective, informed consent is also required in many jurisdictions. For...
