The Two Pillars of Intensive Care Medicine (II): The Patient’s Wishes and Consent

The Two Pillars of Intensive Care Medicine (II): The Patient’s Wishes and Consent
Book Chapter
Aimee B. Milliken, Nicholas Sadovnikoff
Ethics in Intensive Care Medicine, 20 July 2023 [Springer]
Abstract
In this chapter, we review the second pillar of intensive care medicine: the patient’s wishes and informed consent. First, we review the concept of respect for autonomy and then address its corollary, the concept of informed consent. We discuss decision-making capacity and voluntariness as essential preconditions to a fully informed consent. Finally, we address the practice of shared decision-making.