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Autonomy and Informed Consent

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Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics

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Synonyms

Autonomy: Independence; Freedom

Consent: Accord; Permission; Agreement

Introduction

Autonomy takes its primary meaning from governmental theory where it refers to the status of a state or nation as being self-governing and free from control or interference from another power. When applied to individuals, the term carries the same meaning: a self-governing person – a personal rule of the self that is free from controlling interferences by others and personal limitations that prevent realization of an individual’s self-chosen plan. In this way, autonomy of individuals is regarded as analogous to the manner in which independent governments determine, implement, and manage policies and responsibilities (Beauchamp and Childress 2012).

Consent means the grant, by a person, of permission for something to take place (e.g., to receive medical treatment) or the agreement to do something (such as entering into a contract). The expression includes both the substance – the specification of...

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References

  • Beauchamp TL, Childress JF (2012) Principles of biomedical ethics, 7th edn. Oxford University Press, New York

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  • Ennis L, Wykes T (2016) Sense and readability: participant information sheets for research studies. Br J Psychiatry 208(2):189–194

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  • Faden RR, Beauchamp TL (1986) A history and theory of informed consent. Oxford University Press, New York

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  • Largent E, Lynch HF (2017) Paying research participants: the outsized influence of “undue influence”. IRB: Ethics Hum Res 39:1–9

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  • Mackenzie C, Stoljar N (2000) Relational autonomy: feminist perspectives on autonomy, agency and the social self. Oxford University Press, New York

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

    Colin J. H. Thomson

Authors
  1. Colin J. H. Thomson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Colin J. H. Thomson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Deborah C Poff

  2. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Alex C. Michalos

Section Editor information

  1. Australasian Human Research Ethics Consultancy Services, Perth, Australia

    Mark Israel

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

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Thomson, C.J.H. (2018). Autonomy and Informed Consent. In: Poff, D., Michalos, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_43-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23514-1_43-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-23514-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-23514-1

  • eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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