International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine

Consent is an ethical and legal requirement for any therapeutic process. It is the responsibility of healthcare practitioners to respect patients' rights of autonomy and to receive their consent. The United Kingdom law currently states that all relevant risks, which a reasonable patient would want to know, must be told to them. Consequently the General Osteopathic Council's (GOsC) “Code of Practice” includes specific expectations in this area. As a result risk disclosure and informed consent has become of increasing importance within osteopathy, particular in today's increasingly litigious society. Osteopathy is a patient centred approach to healthcare; as such research to determine patients' expectations and preferences is needed.

Abstract avaible here.