Table 4.

Some advantages suggested by research of providing full information to the patient and of shared decision-making*.

▪ Better patient outcomes (5, 29).

▪ Improved patient satisfaction (4, 30).

▪ Increased patient trust (31, 32).

▪ Decreased symptom burden (4).

▪ Decreased use of resources (4).

▪ Increased provision of preventive services (33).

▪ Increased patients' knowledge about medications and management (34).

▪ Better patient adherence and compliance with treatment and medical advice (6).

▪ Improved decisions, since decisions by physicians alone may be susceptible to bias or affected by cultural differences (35, 36) and substituted judgments are often incorrect (37).

▪ Informed consent requires that patients be told their diagnoses, their prognoses and the risks and benefits of all proposed treatment options, including non treatment. Patient autonomy is an ethical and legal right of all patients (38).