Which of the following statements about informed consent is true?

The statement that failure to disclose risks can result in medical malpractice is accurate in the context of informed consent. Informed consent is a critical principle in medical practice, requiring physicians to adequately communicate the potential risks and benefits of a treatment or procedure to their patients. When physicians fail to disclose material risks, particularly those that a reasonable person would find significant in deciding whether to undergo the treatment, they can be liable for medical malpractice.

Informed consent not only involves the necessity of obtaining permission from a patient but also emphasizes that this consent must be based on a clear understanding of the treatment options available, along with their associated risks. The legal standard for informed consent typically looks at whether the physician provided all necessary information that a reasonable patient would want to know to make an informed decision regarding their treatment.

The other statements do not accurately reflect the legal and ethical standards surrounding informed consent. For instance, while physicians may indeed possess discretion in how they present information, it is bounded by their responsibility to inform patients of all significant risks pertinent to their treatment—this refutes the idea that they can disclose risks entirely at their own discretion. Similarly, not every risk must be disclosed, particularly minor risks that do not materially influence a patient's decision-making process. Lastly, patients are not always