The Importance of the Informed Consent for Interventional Radiology Procedures

The informed consent process has acquired great importance in the practice of medicine. In the past, it was deemed that the patient should trust the doctor as the decision maker; however, this began to change more than 100 years ago when the concept of patient autonomy acquired importance. Ideally, the consent process should include a clear understanding of the patient's health condition, explanation of the procedure, discussion of benefits, risks, and alternatives to the procedure. The purpose of this article is to describe the ideal consent process focused on an interventional radiology practice.