Informed consent - more than a signature? Improving the consent process in practice

ABSTRACT

Recently updated guidance on communication and consent from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) suggests that consent should be a process, held in advance of the day of surgery if possible, obtained by an appropriate member of staff, and should involve the discussion of reasonable treatment options. Using an elective neutering scenario, this article discusses what ‘good practice’ in informed consent looks like and makes recommendations for improving consent protocols in practice. These recommendations incorporate time allocation and timing of consent discussions, who should obtain consent, the content of the discussion, and what happens on the day of surgery.

Keywords:

• elective surgery
• informed consent
• neutering
• small animal
• veterinary
• veterinary nursing

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Jill Macdonald for reading and commenting on the final draft of this paper.

Disclosure statement

Invited to submit preliminary findings from doctoral thesis to the RCVS for review of Supporting Guidance on consent.

Funding

My doctoral work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) under grant no: 1615019, and I am currently an ESRC-sponsored postdoctoral fellow, grant no: ES/T009136/1

Additional information

Funding

My doctoral work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) under grant no: 1615019, and I am currently an ESRC-sponsored postdoctoral fellow, grant no: ES/T009136/1

Notes on contributors

Carol A. Gray

Following 13 years as a lecturer in communication skills at Liverpool vet school, I did a PhD in the School of Law at the University of Birmingham. Since October 2019, I have been a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Law and Social Justice at the University of Liverpool. Emails: [email protected], [email protected]