Legally, this requires that the patient, or his/her surrogate, is informed of the risks, benefits, and alternatives to a treatment. A signature on the consent form provides legal documentation of consent.
Ethically, consent is about patient autonomy, meaning the patient understands and freely agrees to the treatment.
Consent may be withdrawn at any time. Healthcare providers must accept and support refusal or withdrawal of consent even if they disagree with the patient.
The consent process can be affected by complexity of the treatment, patient condition and ability to understand information, and if treatment is emergent or elective.