There are many cases in which you may or may not have to visit a hospital. Whether it's for simple, or a major procedure that involves surgery, you will receive in form of writing from the doctor the plan for care. This plan in writing is called Informed Consent. Informed consent is a process that everyone goes through before a procedure with their primary caregiver. Once you read over the informed consent, you may have a general idea of how the procedure will go about from before, during and after care. Informed consent is a process that involves steps including asking questions about the procedure and getting satisfactory answers, possible risk and benefits of treatment, what can happen if treatment is refused, discussing treatment with family, and alternatives if treatment is not the best fit for you. If you decide to follow through the procedure and read over all the steps you sign a consent form. The consent form is the legal written document that allows the physician to follow through with the treatment (Menendez, 2013, para. 3). Usually it is the physician's job to inform the patients of the benefits and risks, alternatives, and the treatment of surgery which makes the informed consent process a legal and ethical responsibility of the doctor. As patient advocates, nurses also should have a full understanding of the guidelines and steps during the informed consent process. With this knowledge the patient can have a better understanding of what is going to happen before, during and after the procedure. Either acting as a patient advocate or a caregiver, the nurse's role is essential to making sure the patient receives the highest quality care by explaining the nursing and medical procedures. During nursing and medical procedures, problems can occur if they not properly identified and explained to the patient ("cancer.org , 2014, para. 3). When patients are properly informed about planned procedures then it can be said that true