Abstract
The informed consent process depends on the clinician understanding the feelings of patients and their families as well as their medical problems. The ability of anesthesiologists to obtain informed consent thus depends partly on their range of experiences both within and outside the hospital. At present, at least in Japan, female doctors are more likely than male doctors to care for their children or their older parents. These familial experiences provide the female doctor with the opportunity to understand the social and emotional aspects of their patients and their families, an understanding that is particularly useful in the informed consent process. Male doctors also can obtain this understanding by becoming more involved in the daily problems and activities of their own families. Sex discrimination should be resolved by giving women the same rights to work as men and also by allowing men more time to spend with their families.
