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Arch Intern Med. 2001;161:2288-2292.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

THE INCREASING popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) poses serious challenges for the physician, not the least being the issue of informed consent. Herein, we review the implications of informed consent. Informed consent should include adequate information about the risks and benefits of all treatment options. The information about potential risks, including frequent, nonserious adverse affects as well as infrequent serious complications, is crucial for patients to know. Failure to disclose the availability, benefits, and risks of CAM treatments could give rise to malpractice claims. We discuss the existing US case law and several hypothetical scenarios. The ethical rules physicians follow in conventional care usually can be applied to treatment with CAM. The focus must be on expressing risks clearly, documenting informed consent adequately, and keeping up-to-date with the emerging evidence on CAM.

As CAM becomes accepted by and integrated into mainstream health care, it will pose a number . . . [Full Text of this Article]

WHAT IS INFORMED CONSENT?


WHAT INFORMATION?

WHO DECIDES?

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

CASE LAW

HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIOS
Case 1: Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation for Neck Pain

Case 2: Chiropractic SM for Lower Back Pain

Case 3: Treatment by a CAM Provider Without Proof of Safety or Efficacy

Case 4: Physician Disclosure of Herbal Remedies

CONCLUSIONS

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