Don't 'take consent. Provide disclosure

The purpose of consent English courts have confirmed the importance of consent prior to clinical interventions. Accepting that this is an essential prerequisite for lawful treatment, does consent serve any further purpose other than providing information? Children’s doctors have a duty to take reasonable steps to put the patient (or their parent) into a position where they can make an informed decision about whether to subject themselves to the proposed treatment. Court judgements echo the tone of ‘taking consent’ (a phrase so often used by doctors), construed as an acquisition. Lord Donaldson, in Re W [1992] 4 All ER 627, viewed consent as a ‘flak jacket’, thus casting the patient as an adversary; providing the doctor with protection from the accusation of unlawful practice. Neither construction adequately articulates the active provision of information. The notion of acquiring (‘taking’) something from the patient or parent which will protect the...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Ethics and law for clinical practice Source Type: research