http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (AP) -- Learning he had prostate cancer floored John Noble. Then came the prospect of surgery and his overpowering fear of being "put under" with anesthesia. http://phys.org/news208623334.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:40:01 EST news208623334 Two legal experts argue on bmj.com today that informed consent should be obtained from competent patients before blood transfusions takes place. http://phys.org/news201890458.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:00:04 EST news201890458 Surgical patients who participate in longer- to 30-minute- discussions prior to having an operation (known as the informed consent process) better understand the proposed operation, according to new research published in the June issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. In addition, researchers found that asking the patient to "repeat back" their understanding of the procedure was effective in enhancing patient comprehension of informed consent issues. This is the largest study ever conducted on the surgical informed consent process. http://phys.org/news197741259.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:08:01 EST news197741259 It's time patient consent forms came back full circle to a tool for patient education, rather than the waiver of liability they have become. The original purpose of the consent forms was for a surgeon or doctor to inform the patient of common or serious risks associated with the procedure to be performed. However, the way current consent forms are written – as formal, legal documents – plants a litigious relationship in both the patient's and the surgeon's mind even before treatment has begun. http://phys.org/news148741445.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:04:05 EST news148741445 Doctors should be required to disclose when they are prescribing drugs off-label, argues a new article in this week's PLoS Medicine. Michael Wilkes and Margaret Johns from the University of California Davis argue that the ethics related to informed consent and shared decision-making provide an imperative for doctors to inform patients about the risks of a medical treatment when their use has not been approved by regulators. http://phys.org/news145603038.html Medicine & Health Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:17:18 EST news145603038 Genetic studies involving the long term storage and study of human samples hold great promise for medical research—but they also pose new threats to individuals such as uninsurability, unemployability, and discrimination, say a team of researchers in this week's PLoS Medicine. http://phys.org/news140762334.html Medicine & Health Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:38:54 EST news140762334