Reflections

As an emergency medicine resident, I found the topic of informed consent especially interesting. I work with patients every day in a range of situations, from the life threatening where there is a lack of time to consent, to the elective procedure. The majority of the patients I see did not wake up that morning planning to be in the emergency department, or seeing a doctor. Many of them are in pain, emotionally and or physically. While we try to treat the physical pain, we cannot always treat the emotional pain, the stress, fear, concern about the unknown. Yet I and my physician colleagues around the country ask these patients to make difficult decisions in this environment. Often times in the ED, it is not possible to sit down with the patient for 45 minutes, or to allow them to go home and think about their options for a… Continue reading →