Government Perspective, Informed Policy Choice

Governmental perspectives on the individual's right to choice in healthcare and, in particular, the concept of informed choice, are relatively recent. Choice is now seen as being integral to healthcare reforms (patient-led care) taking place in the United Kingdom, the United States, and elsewhere. These policies contrast with some previous policies in which the government made choices on behalf of the population. Current government policy toward informed choice, in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, is based on the premise that people have an individual responsibility for their own health and are able to make their own choices. The provision of information (particularly evidence-based information) is viewed as being the key to enabling people to make rational choices.