Informed consent is one of the most important aspects of ethical medical practice.
Before a health care professional can conduct any medical procedure or intervention they need to make sure their patient understands what it's for, how risky it is, and the possible benefits (“informed”)…as well as confirm that the patient has agreed to do it (“consent”).
While informed consent can easily be taken for granted now, it is still a relatively new component in medical practice. It was not until 1957, with the case of Martin Salgo, that informed consent became a legal requirement in clinical medicine.
