Under the informed consent doctrine, when is it permissible for a physician to proceed without consent?

• A. In emergency situations where the patient cannot provide consent
• B. Routine checkups
• C. Non-urgent elective procedures
• D. When patient requests no information

Answer: (A)

In emergency situations where the patient cannot provide consent, physicians may proceed without explicit consent because of the emergency exception to informed consent. When someone is incapacitated and there isn’t time to obtain consent or a surrogate, treatment is provided based on implied consent to prevent imminent death or serious harm. After the patient is stabilized, the clinician should inform them and obtain formal consent for ongoing care and document the emergency and the rationale for acting without consent. Routine checkups and non-urgent elective procedures require explicit consent, and a request for no information does not justify bypassing the consent process.