Consented: A Doctor's Call to End Medical Violence and Reclaim Patient Autonomy

A physician’s bold critique of medical rape culture—and her call for a  new model of care that centers consent and empowers patients  Medical culture has a problem with consent—and it’s not just a few bad  doctors. That’s the conclusion of Dr. Zed Zha in Consented, a  groundbreaking look at how the healthcare industry ignores patients’  agency and perpetuates violence.  Even the best and most caring doctors can fall prey to what Dr. Zha  identifies as medical rape culture: a system of beliefs and practices  that enable and normalize the violation of patients’ autonomy. Dr. Zha  shows how this culture is historically entrenched—from the invention of  the speculum to eugenics—and argues that we need a sea change in our  healthcare system to stop repeating the same mistakes. She interlaces  these hidden histories of medicine with first-hand patient stories and  her own personal journey, identifying four key problems of consent  within medical practice:   

Non-consent (“Doctors know what’s best for the patient.”) 

Forced consent (“If patients are noncompliant, their voices cease to  matter.”) 

Inadequate consent (“Doctors can decide what patients need to know.”) 

Contractual consent (“Sign here, then forever hold your peace.”)  

This fundamental misunderstanding of consent robs patients of the right  to control what happens to their own bodies, and can cause serious harm.  Instead, Dr. Zha offers a radical new vision of medical consent  culture—one that embraces collectivity, accessibility, and compassion.  This provocative book will validate anyone who has felt ignored,  gaslight, or violated in the doctor’s office and inspire those working  in the healthcare system to push for change.