Family Members' Informed Consent to Medical Treatment for Competent Patients in China (Comments AND Notes) (Report‪)‬

Introduction Informed consent to medical treatment is premised upon the ethical principle of personal autonomy. (1) Although the notion of informed consent originated from Western liberal culture, it has gradually become a popular doctrine adopted by many countries of the world, and China is no exception. (2) Chinese law not only established the rule of consent to medical treatment as early as 1982, but has also widely incorporated the rule of informed consent since the new century. (3) However, as the notion of informed consent was imported from the West into China, three questions are worthy of consideration. First, is there any difference between the Chinese rules of informed consent to medical treatment and its dominant theory accepted in Western society? Second, what is the rationale for the difference? Third, can the difference be justified given the value of informed consent in promoting patient autonomy?