In keeping with the Health Care Consent Act, 1996, and the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004, dietitians have a legal and professional responsibility to obtain informed consent from a client for nutrition treatment and for collecting, using and disclosing the client's personal health or other confidential information. This professional obligation is also articulated in the College’s Professional Misconduct Regulation.
The fundamental principles and laws about consent are all based on respect for a client's right to make informed decisions about their health care and personal health information. Informed consent is at the heart of client-centred care.