The right to information of users or patients. Beyond informed consent

Abstract

Information to the user/patient is an essential aspect in the framework of the doctor-patient relationship, which requires the intrinsic motivation of its members, as well as that it be produced in a symmetrical manner. From its origins, the doctor-patient relationship has been marked by conditions such as clinical supremacy and the acceptance and compliance of the recommendations put forward by him in his professional exercise. Today, information with the user/patient is legally supported, as a consequence of the implementation of Law 41/2002, of 14 November, which regulates the autonomy of the patient and rights and obligations regarding information and clinical documentation, as well as autonomous regulations and standardized operating procedures. This study also discusses informed consent as an instrument that promotes and guarantees the right to clinical self-determination of the user/patient; the vital will, prior instruction or advance vital will, which allows the user/patient to record, in writing, their health preferences with regard to the treatments they wish to be applied to them in accordance with the current regulations and the lex artis; and the communication of bad news, which requires knowledge of a series of instructions and recommendations to guide the intervention, so that the news has the least impact on the patient and family members.