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The Quality of Consent – What is the Evidence?
Author(s) -
Robertson Cameron G.,
Verco Christopher J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.734
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1479-828X
pISSN - 0004-8666
DOI - 10.1111/ajo.12125
Subject(s) - documentation , medicine , caesarean section , informed consent , quality (philosophy) , medical emergency , unit (ring theory) , family medicine , pregnancy , alternative medicine , philosophy , genetics , mathematics education , mathematics , epistemology , pathology , computer science , biology , programming language
The documentation of consent is an important component of the clinical encounter. This study assesses the quality of documentation of that consent for a common surgical procedure, caesarean section, in an obstetric unit at a major teaching hospital and compares this quality between elective and emergency cases. There was a significant difference in the quality of documentation between the elective and emergency groups in some, but not all, categories assessed. Overall, the standard of consent documentation in the obstetric unit was less than desired. A proforma was designed to be included in the case notes of women undergoing caesarean section to improve the efficient and thorough documentation of consent.