Consent

Question 1

What is patient consent?

Answer 1

Patient consent requires that the patient is competent/has capacity to consent, has a general understanding of what is proposed and is not under duress/pressure to consent

Question 2

Who may not have capacity to provide valid consent?

Answer 2

children
adults with intellectual disability, mental illness or a serious physical impairment

Question 3

What are the types of consent?

Answer 3

express consent in person
express oral consent
implied consent (agreement to referral to an ophthalmologist)

Question 4

What happens if you do not gain consent?

Answer 4

it transforms what would be unlawful into acceptable.
performing a procedure on someone without their consent can attract both civil and criminal ability

Question 5

What is the difference between consent and informed consent?

Answer 5

failure to warn a px of ‘material risks’ associated with a procedure will not give rise to a claim in assault, but might amount to negligence (due to lack of informed consent)

Question 6

What information do you have to transfer to the px?

Answer 6

diagnosis
prognosis
options for investigation/treatment
risks and benefits of investigations/treatments
whether intervention conventional/experimental
time involved
costs involved
your professional opinion and reasons

Question 7

What happens if you disclose info without the patients consent?

Answer 7

a breach of patient confidentiality may be ethically and legally justifiable in circumstances where the health practitioner has a reasonable belief that the patient might cause serious harm to themselves or others

Question 8

How do you communicate clinical findings to a patient?

Answer 8

use plain, non-intellectual language to communicate information about proposed procedures or treatments.
ensure the px understands “tell me in your own words…” “tell me what you are going to say to them”