This lecture starts from the study by Makhmutova et al. (Procedia Computer Science, 2025) on how people without medical training recognise and understand common terminology.
In short: even among people with higher education, understanding of medical terms can be limited. Recognising a term is not the same as understanding it, and that gap puts the patient-professional relationship at risk.
A little history
Dr. Cortés Torres recalls that the term "informed consent" was first used in 1957, in Salgo v. Leland Stanford Jr. University in California. The court held that a doctor breaches their duty by withholding information the patient needs in order to consent, and may not minimise known dangers to obtain consent.
Key information
The lecture also reviews the "key information section" required since the 2018 update to US rules on human-subject research. More research is needed on whether it truly improves participants' understanding or merely lengthens an already long document.