Which principle requires informed consent when applicable?

• A. Beneficence
• B. Autonomy
• C. Justice
• D. Nonmaleficence

Answer: (B)

Respect for patient autonomy is the principle that recognizes individuals as capable of making decisions about their own health. Informed consent is the process that supports autonomy by ensuring the patient understands the proposed intervention, its risks and benefits, alternatives, and implications, and agrees voluntarily before any action is taken. Because consent is about honoring a person’s right to decide what happens to their body, this principle directly requires obtaining informed consent when it applies. Beneficence focuses on acting for the patient’s good, but it doesn’t by itself mandate the consent process; nonmaleficence is about avoiding harm, and justice concerns fairness in care, not the act of obtaining consent. In cases where a patient lacks capacity and no surrogate is available, consent may be implied, but the underlying obligation to respect autonomy remains the guiding reason for informed consent.