#Medical-Term

Informed consent is the modern medical ritual of feigning thorough explanation before ushering the patient into a high-speed signature ceremony. The litany of risks and side effects transforms into a legal shield for practitioners, even as it bewilders those it purports to enlighten. Patients sign off believing they understood, while physicians pocket the insurance of "consent obtained." All that remains is a signed form and the faint aroma of liability evasion.