Informed Consent Analysis in Medical Emergency Situations in an Ethical and Practical Review
Keywords:
Informed Consent, Medical Ethics, Actions Without Consent.Abstract
Informed consent is a fundamental principle in medical practice that guarantees the patient's right to autonomy over every medical procedure he or she receives. However, in medical emergencies such as loss of consciousness, the risk of urgent death, or the absence of family, the implementation of informed consent is often not feasible according to the ideal procedure. This creates an ethical and practical dilemma for medical personnel between the obligation to save lives and the need to respect the rights of patients. This study aims to analyze how the principle of informed consent is applied in emergency situations, review the ethical justification for taking medical measures without consent, and examine the legal protection of medical personnel in the practice. The research method used is a normative and descriptive qualitative juridical approach through literature studies of legal documents, medical codes of ethics, and bioethical literature. The results of the study show that in an emergency, medical actions without informed consent can be ethically justified through the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence, and are strengthened by legal provisions that provide exceptions in certain conditions. These findings demonstrate the importance of clarity of procedures and documentation in emergency practice to maintain a balance between professional ethics and legal protection. The practical implications of this study are the need for the preparation of adaptive standard operating procedures (SOPs), as well as training of medical personnel in ethical decision-making in critical situations.
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