ABSTRACT Each of us is closely related to the medical care. We have to admit that medical technology is a double-edged sword. Advanced medical techniques for the complicated illnesses really effective, but may also harm to patients. The traditional medical ethics based on the “doctors--patriarchy", and focus on the absolutely authority. Patients only can choose to obey. With the trend of modern human rights’ developing, rights of intensified rapidly gets more and more attention. The new medical ethics consider "people-oriented" and "respect the patient autonomy" as the core principles. Therefore, the obligation of inform that appears in the theory and practice of the law is becoming the focus of the attention of all fields. Only fulfill the obligation to disclose and get the promises from patients, the doctor's medical act could be legalized. The obligation to disclose plays a very important role in ensuring the basic rights, and maintaining the development of relationship between doctors and patients. In this paper, the author discussed the obligations to inform the patients from different aspects as follows: the possibility and necessity of the obligations were brought in the modern civil law, the ideological basis , the framework of the system the liability for violation of this obligation, as well as the criteria in the judicial practice.

内容提要 人食五谷，岂能无病。我们必须承认，医疗技术是一把双刃剑，先进的医疗技术治疗疑难杂症的确有效，但也可能给患者带来伤害。传统的医学伦理以“医师父权”的思想为基础，强调医生的绝对权威，患者只能选择服从。 随着近代人权思潮的高涨，人们的权利意识迅速增强，权利主体的自主决定权受到越来越多的重视，新的医学伦理也以“以人为本”和“尊重病人自主权为核心原则，因此，医方的告知说明义务在理论和实践中的出现，也就成为私法领域众人所关注的焦点。医生只有在尽到告知义务，并取得患者承诺之后，才能使医疗行为正当合法化。医方告知义务是患者行使自主决定权的前提，对于保障患者基本权利、维护医患关系和谐发展起着极其重要的作用。 本文主要通过探讨医方的告知说明义务理论，被引入现代民法领域的现实可能性和必要性的问题，它的民法思想渊源，具体制度的框架结构，违反此义务的民事责任，以及司法实践中的判断标准等问题，从不同角度和层面剖析了这个与我们每个人都紧密相连的制度。 关键词: 告知说明 知情同意 自主决定 违约 侵权