Radiology: Volume 262: Number 1 -January 2012
James A. Brink, MD Marilyn J. Goske, MD John A. Patti, MD
Informed consent, in the classic sense, is a covenant between the patient and the physician. It signifies that the physician has disclosed the relevant risks from a medical procedure and the patient has accepted those risks as possible outcomes. This covenant attempts to protect the patient from inadequate communication about known risks of a prescribed medical intervention and presumably allows the patient to make a thoughtful decision about whether to proceed with the procedure. Written informed consent may also protect the physician from reprisal in the event of a bad outcome, if the outcome was dis-closed as a possible untoward event.