Consent from new patient at first registration

Just as the patient can take a proper decision only if full information is available to him/her, the doctor can take the most appropriate decision for a patient only if the patient provides full and up-to-date information. Unfortunately this does not happen all the time. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recommends the Charter of Patients Rights which also includes a specific section on responsibilities of patients and their family members. Based on the legal principle that consent is a contract between two parties, we followed a systematic procedure to develop consensus recommendation for obtaining patient consent in the normal practice setting at first registration/ presentation.