[Legal aspects of patient enlightenment (therapeutic consent) from a surgeon's point of view (author's transl)].

The doctor-patient relationship has undergone considerable changes over recent years. An increase in public discussion of real or supposed malpractice has led to an increasingly critical attitude in patients, who are no longer prepared to accept the doctor's instructions unquestioningly. Every doctor, surgeons in particular, should, therefore, strive to restore a satisfactory relationship with his patient, since this is an essential precondition for ensuring therapeutic success. The doctor is obliged to explain to his patients (or legal spokesman) the risks involved in therapy and give him adequate insight into his condition. Only then can the patient make an adequate decision as to acceptance or refusal of therapy, which is legally binding (written consent in the case of operations). Absolute priority must be given to uninhibited maximum efficiency of the doctor. Legal safety should be of only secondary importance.