Informed Consent: Ethical, Medical, and Legal Implications in Clinical Practice

Abstract

Adequate patient information is an essential requirement for the ethical and legal legitimacy of healthcare interventions. This study aimed to critically analyze the duty to inform in clinical practice from an interdisciplinary perspective integrating bioethics, medicine, and law. A narrative analytical review was conducted based on national and international scientific literature, normative documents, and legal frameworks addressing patient autonomy, clinical communication, and professional liability. The analysis demonstrates that the duty to inform goes beyond the mere transmission of technical data and requires a continuous communicational process adapted to patients’ cognitive, emotional, and sociocultural conditions. Failures in information provision are associated with weakened physician–patient relationships, reduced therapeutic adherence, and an increased incidence of ethical and legal conflicts, particularly in the context of health judicialization. From a legal standpoint, the breach of the duty to inform may result in civil liability regardless of the technical adequacy of the medical procedure, as it violates the patient’s right to self-determination. The findings highlight that improving clinical communication and strengthening shared decision-making practices are essential to ensuring ethical, safe, and legally responsible care. Greater integration between medical education, bioethics, and health law is therefore necessary to consolidate patient-centered clinical practices.