Is there such a thing? I don't know where to put this post, so I thought I'd try here. I'm specifically thinking about a "dating" u/s my OB/midwife is wanting me to have, but also just general procedures/tests...
I'm thinking something along the lines of:
-risks of procedure
-benefits of procedure
-how will the information be used?
-how will my course of treatment be affected?
Is there already a checklist somewhere out there? Things to add to this list?
I don't know that there is any sort of checklist in common use. It is not standard of care to get "informed consent" for non-invasive procedures, although of course there it probably should be. For invasive procedures (like surgery) informed consent should be the norm. Often what it involves is a nurse saying "Sign this paper so you can have your surgery" but true informed consent is a process, not a signature on a piece of paper, and should involved a detailed conversation between the health care provider themselves and the patient.
Some of the language you might see on a surgical consent say things like "I have been informed of the risks and benefits of the above procedure, alternatives to the above, including the risks and benefits of no therapy."
For a test, you are wise to ask questions just like the ones you wrote. It's always good to know what you are going to do with the information a test will reveal before having the test.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this - I'm on vacation, and my internet access is VERY limited....
Quote:
Originally Posted by doctorjen
For invasive procedures (like surgery) informed consent should be the norm. Often what it involves is a nurse saying "Sign this paper so you can have your surgery" but true informed consent is a process, not a signature on a piece of paper, and should involved a detailed conversation between the health care provider themselves and the patient.
Yeah, the "informed consent" for my c/s was a JOKE (a sad, scary joke, that is). I actually went back and had my medical records amended b/c they said that the doc had "discussed at length the risks and benefits [with me], and the decision was made to proceed [with the c/s]". Ha!! There was NO discussion, and I refused to have that in my records.
I'm hoping that by going in and asking all these questions, the doc/midwife will realize that I CARE about this pregnancy/birth and that I AM educated and capable of making my own health care decisions. (B/c, you know, patients generally aren't capable of that
)
Anyway, thank you for your input. I always appreciate reading your posts and realizing ALL docs aren't like those that I've encountered - there ARE some who realize patients are individual PEOPLE.
Kinsey
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