To support patient autonomy during informed consent for urologic procedures, which action is most aligned with respecting autonomy?

• A. Verify understanding of procedure, risks, benefits, and alternatives
• B. Assess decision-making capacity
• C. Obtain and document voluntary consent
• D. Respect patient autonomy

Answer: (D)

Respecting patient autonomy means honoring the patient’s right to make their own decision about their care after receiving clear information. The best action is to honor the patient’s choice—supporting their decision, avoiding coercion, and aligning care with what they have decided, assuming they have the capacity and understand the options. The other steps—verifying understanding, assessing capacity, and obtaining voluntary consent—are essential to enable autonomy, but they are means to support it; the direct reflection of autonomy is honoring the patient’s decision itself.