What are the 5 principles of consent?

Asked by: Israel Farrell Sr.  |  Last update: February 2, 2026
Score: 5/5 (40 votes)

The 5 Pillars of Consent are key principles defining healthy agreement, often summarized as Revocable, Conscious, Enthusiastic, Verbal/Visible, and Ongoing, ensuring consent is freely given, informed, and continuous, not assumed from silence, past actions, or pressure, and can be withdrawn anytime. These concepts, sometimes using the FRIES acronym (Freely Given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, Specific), emphasize clear, positive agreement for each step in an interaction.

What are the 5 principles of informed consent?

The 5 key elements of informed consent are: Disclosure (providing all relevant information), Comprehension (patient understands the info), Competence (patient has capacity to decide), Voluntariness (free from coercion), and Authorization (patient agrees, often documented). These ensure patients can make autonomous decisions about their care, covering risks, benefits, alternatives, and procedures. 

What are the 5 elements of consent?

The five essential elements of informed consent—disclosure of information, patient competency, voluntary decision-making, reasonable alternatives with risks, and assessment of understanding—are vital for empowering patients.

What are the 5 key points of consent?

About the 5 core concepts of consent

  • 1 – Consent is free and voluntary. Consent is always a free choice. ...
  • 2 – Clear and informed. Everyone feels genuinely sure or enthusiastic and knows what they're agreeing to. ...
  • 3 – Affirmative and communicated. Consent is all about communication. ...
  • 4 – Ongoing and mutual. ...
  • 5 – Able and capable.

What are the principles of consent?

Defining consent

For consent to be valid, it must be voluntary and informed, and the person consenting must have the capacity to make the decision.

Five principles of the Mental Capacity Act

32 related questions found

What are the five pillars of consent?

One way in which we can ensure our own behavior is respectful of others is by following the five pillars of consent. Consent must be: revocable, conscious, enthusiastic, verbal, and ongoing. Consent is an expression of respect for the right to self-determination and autonomy.

What are the 5 requirements for informed consent?

The 5 key elements of informed consent are: Disclosure (providing all relevant information), Comprehension (patient understands the info), Competence (patient has capacity to decide), Voluntariness (free from coercion), and Authorization (patient agrees, often documented). These ensure patients can make autonomous decisions about their care, covering risks, benefits, alternatives, and procedures. 

What are the fundamental principles of consent?

Consent is a fundamental legal and ethical principle. All patients have the right to be involved in decisions about their treatment and care and to make informed decisions if they can. The exchange of information between medical professionals and patient is essential to good decision making.

What are the 4 pillars of consent?

There are 4 components of informed consent including decision capacity, documentation of consent, disclosure, and competency. Doctors will give you information about a particular treatment or test in order for you to decide whether or not you wish to undergo a treatment or test.

What are the basics of consent?

According to the Rights, Rules and Responsiblities Link is external (2025) of Princeton University consent is defined as the “voluntary, informed, un-coerced agreement through words or actions freely given, which could be reasonably interpreted as a willingness to participate in mutually agreed-upon sexual acts.

What are the 3 C's of consent?

The Three C's of consent are Clear, Continuous, and Conscious, emphasizing that consent must be enthusiastic, ongoing for each new activity, and given by someone fully aware and able to make a free choice, not coerced or silent. It's a proactive "yes," not the absence of a "no," requiring ongoing verbal or clear nonverbal communication. 

What are the three pillars of consent?

The three core principles of valid consent are Voluntariness, ensuring the decision is free from coercion; Informed Disclosure, meaning full, understandable information is provided; and Capacity (or Competence), confirming the individual can understand the information and make a reasoned choice. Together, these ensure a person freely and knowingly agrees to something, crucial in medical, research, and personal situations. 

What are the 5 principles of the APA Code of Ethics?

The 5 APA ethical principles are: Beneficence and Nonmaleficence (do good, avoid harm), Fidelity and Responsibility (build trust, uphold standards), Integrity (be honest and accurate), Justice (fairness and equal access), and Respect for People's Rights and Dignity (protect rights, privacy, and confidentiality). These principles serve as foundational guidance for psychologists in their professional roles, from clinical practice to research. 

What is the golden rule of ethics?

The most familiar version of the Golden Rule says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Moral philosophy has barely taken notice of the golden rule in its own terms despite the rule's prominence in commonsense ethics.

What are the five 5 rules that relate to good research ethics?

Frequently asked questions about research ethics

Ethical considerations in research are a set of principles that guide your research designs and practices. These principles include voluntary participation, informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality, potential for harm, and results communication.

What are the key principles of consent?

The informed consent process involves three key features: (1) disclosing to potential research subjects information needed to make an informed decision; (2) facilitating the understanding of what has been disclosed; and (3) promoting the voluntariness of the decision about whether or not to participate in the research.

What are the 4 types of consent?

While there are many classifications, four common types of consent are Expressed (or Explicit), Implied, Informed, and Withdrawable, representing direct verbal/written permission, actions suggesting agreement, permission after understanding details, and the right to revoke consent, respectively, all crucial in medical, legal, and personal contexts.
 

What are the 4 C's of informed consent?

The requirements of an informed consent for a medical or surgical procedure, or for research, are that the patient or subject (i) must be competent to understand and decide, (ii) receives a full disclosure, (iii) comprehends the disclosure, (iv) acts voluntarily, and (v) consents to the proposed action.

What are the 5 elements of informed consent?

The 5 key elements of informed consent are: Disclosure (providing all relevant information), Comprehension (patient understands the info), Competence (patient has capacity to decide), Voluntariness (free from coercion), and Authorization (patient agrees, often documented). These ensure patients can make autonomous decisions about their care, covering risks, benefits, alternatives, and procedures. 

What are the key elements of consent?

The five key elements of consent are:

  • The individual gives consent voluntarily.
  • The individual is adequately informed before giving consent.
  • The consent is specific.
  • The consent is current.
  • The individual has the capacity to understand and communicate their consent.

What are the 4 steps of consent?

the patient giving consent must have capacity • the consent must be freely given • the consent must be sufficiently specific to the procedure or treatment proposed • the consent must be informed. The four criteria for a valid consent must be met irrespective of whether the consent is in writing or oral.

What are the 5 pillars specifically?

The Five Pillars are the core beliefs and practices of Islam:

  • Profession of Faith (shahada). The belief that "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God" is central to Islam. ...
  • Prayer (salat). ...
  • Alms (zakat). ...
  • Fasting (sawm). ...
  • Pilgrimage (hajj).

What are the 4 C's of consent?

The 4 C's of consent are Clear, Continuous, Conscious, and Coercion-free, representing essential elements for enthusiastic and valid consent in any interaction, especially sexual ones, meaning it must be explicitly communicated, ongoing, freely given without pressure, and involve fully aware individuals. Without all four, consent is not present, emphasizing that silence isn't yes, and it can be withdrawn at any moment. 

What are the rules of consent?

Consent cannot be coerced or compelled by force, threat, deception or intimidation. Consent cannot be given by someone who is incapacitated, as defined below. Consent cannot be assumed based on silence, the absence of “no” or “stop,” the existence of a prior or current relationship, or prior sexual activity.