We know of a few people who have had laser eye surgery where what they could expect during and after the treatment wasn’t made clear.  It made us think about what it takes to give informed consent – especially where a cash payment is involved.

We think this 5-level model applies to buying services like higher education and consultancy as well as any form of health care.

Are you given:

1) sufficient technical details to understand what the service involves

2) an accurate impression of what the experience will be like

3) a clear statement of the possible side-effects of the intervention

4) information on whether key practitioners delivering the service actually recommend it to others and use it for themselves

5) help to weigh the cost/benefit for yourself and what it means for you individually?

And as always, caveat emptor.

Tags: choices, Decision-making