Personal autonomy, good care, informed consent and human dignity--some reflections from a European perspective.

Respecting and protecting personal autonomy requires that autonomy is interpreted in conjunction with the principle of good care in a way consistent with (the aspirations enshrined in) human dignity. This leads to a principled and relational approach towards personal autonomy. This implies an active role of health care providers, as councillors of patients, and a personalised way of obtaining informed consent, to maximally ensure the enjoying personal autonomy.