Informed consent is a vital part of any medical procedure; healthcare providers are legally required to adequately explain the pros and cons of a suggested treatment plan or procedure so that the patient can make an informed and voluntary decision regarding whether or not to undergo it. If after receiving this information the patient agrees, this constitutes informed consent. Informed consent is required in a variety of medical scenarios...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) receives more than 100,000 reports of suspected medication errors every year. While the side effects of some medication errors may be relatively mild, depending on the medicine, dosage, or combination of medicines the patient is already taking, life-threatening and even fatal situations are a possibility. In many instances, it can be difficult to identify when an injury or illness is the result of...