INFORMED CONSENT

Course overview

Objectives: At the conclusion of this course the student will have a thorough understanding of the following: •What is informed consent? •What are the elements of full informed consent? •How much information is considerEd "adequate"? •What sorts of interventions require informed consent? •When is it appropriate to question a patient's ability to participate in decision making? •What about the patient whose decision making capacity varies from day to day? •What should occur if the patient cannot give informed consent? •Is there such a thing as presumed/implied consent? •What are some common situations in which a patient's ability to make decisions about surgery and anesthesia may be questioned? •How does medication affect a patient's ability to give valid consent to a procedure? •How does the physical or mental stress of the OR affect the informed consent process? •What information should be provided to surgical patients in the consent process? •Can I influence patients during the informed consent process? •Do we harm patients by causing stress and anxiety when we tell them about the risks of anesthesia and surgery? •What do I do in an emergency, or when the patient is incapable of making a decision? •Is the surgical consent sufficient to cover anesthesia care? •What if the patient requests not to hear about risks?