The trust patients place in their doctors

When I’m working in a hospital setting as a physician, part of my everyday job duties involves going over consent forms with patients. I am of course a medical physician, rather than a surgeon, so generally don’t have to go over them as often. But I do have to take consent regularly for certain interventions including blood transfusions and minor procedures. The process of getting consent is something everybody is probably familiar with from their own healthcare experiences, or if not, when a family member has needed it. It basically involves the doctor going over the risks and benefits of any treatment or procedure, and then the patient signing a form giving their informed consent. It’s the cornerstone of patient-centered care and any decent healthcare delivery system. Patients must be told all the pros and cons, before allowing any intervention on their body. I would say that well over 80 percent of the time I go over a consent form with any patient, this is what happens: I explain something which is usually medically necessary, give them the form to sign, and encourage them to just take a minute to read through the typically short 1 or 2 paragraphs that summarize everything, and any risks involved. The patient response as I hand them the pen is something along the lines of: “It’s OK doc; I trust you if it’s what you’re recommending … I’m OK signing it.” They then grab the pen from me and duly sign their names on the dotted line. It’s OK doc, I trust y...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Hospital-Based Medicine Primary Care Source Type: blogs