We have previously published an article on our site written by Capsticks Solicitors regarding the legalities of consent in sports medicine. The Supreme Court case of Montgomery vs Lanarkshire Health Board in 2015 was a landmark decision in the process of informed consent.
The Royal College of Surgeons has now produced a Guide to Good Practice, Consent: Supported Decision-Making which provides a comprehensive look at consent and a guide to the process that should be followed when dealing with patients.
The guide states that “Gaining the patient’s consent and documenting this sufficiently is an issue that often presents difficulties and the recent changes in the law have highlighted even more the need to tailor information to the patient’s individual needs. An inadequate consent process can damage the surgeon-patient relationship and result in legal challenges and litigation.”
Although detailed, the Guide provides a step-by-step outline of how the relationship should be managed. A full copy of the guide is available on the Royal College of Surgeons website. The guide is also available as a two-part podcast.
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