Informed Consent as a Dynamic Process
Our group had a really great discussion about informed consent after watching “The Faces of Medical Errors… From Tears to Transparency: The Story of Michael Skolnik”.
Even though all of us agreed that the importance of informed consent has been appropriately emphasized throughout our education, many of us were unclear on the practical aspects of the “ideal” version of informed consent. A distinction that was highlighted by the film is that informed consent is a dynamic process, not a singular event, and does not merely end with the patient’s signature on the consent form. One conversation would not suffice regardless of how comprehensive it might be.
The consideration that, at any point in time, circumstances driving the patients’ decisions can change and they can withdraw their consent should remain at the forefront of caregivers’ minds.
Not only does maintaining this collaborative process prevent harmful outcomes, but it improves patient satisfaction… Continue reading
Marseille Reflections by Patient Advocate Melissa Clarkson: Part Two
I am now back in Seattle, home from the Marseille Patient Safety Roundtable & Summer Camp. I am very thankful I had the opportunity to participate. It was emotionally exhausting (I cried the first three of the four days), but I have a sense of hope. I met leaders in patient safety—some of whom I had seen in online videos, others I had not heard of. But the message from all of them was clear: There is no compromise in patient safety. No compromise in disclosure. No compromise in informed consent. Safety and transparency must underlie all of healthcare.And that is a very different perspective than my family has encountered in Kansas, at both the local hospital we are dealing with and at the state level. So today I feel hope knowing that my family is not alone, but I also feel overwhelmed knowing that those… Continue reading
What have I been doing?
I have been blaming the air for my shortness of breath. And I have been blaming the allergy season for my tears during the film showings on these two days. The truth is that I have been having more visceral reactions toward the patient safety stories. It gets emotional easily when I think that my family could have been the one affected by similar events.
Obtaining informed consents occupies a relatively minor part of a resident’s day. After viewing Michael’s story, I have to ask whether it should be the case. The moment when an informed consent is being obtained, usually is a critical time in a patient’s stay: it means a likely diagnosis was suggested and it means a possible treatment has been proposed.
It should be a time of many questions: how was the diagnosis obtained? what else could… Continue reading
How can we teach?…
My Fellow Marseille Patient Safety Gurus,
What an incredible week! I have been so fortunate to be surrounded by such a brilliant group of people leading change all over the country. You have all inspired me and energized me to go back and promote the mission that we have all set out for ourselves- create a system that is patient first.
Inspired by Rick’s proverbs reminding us all that we are teachers and it is our responsibility to share the knowledge that we have gained to improve our systems, I’ve come up with an idea on how to approach teaching informed consent to our fellow residents.
But how do we teach?…How do we teach hundred of grown adults, physicians, those set in their ways with their own ideologies and beliefs that may or may not contradict yours. How do you teach change?…
Here’s my attempt:
Create an “Informed Consent Checklist.”… Continue reading
See One, Do One…#TPSER8
There’s an old adage in medical education “see one, do one, teach one.” I don’t particularly subscribe to it in a literal sense because I think training requires a more intensive learning process than that. But sometimes it does apply quite nicely. A perfect example of this was on Wednesday when I helped run a session about shared decision making and informed consent at our new house staff orientation. The session consisted of a viewing of the video of Michael Skolnik’s story followed by a moderated discussion with the house staff. The idea came out of a casual conversation with my hospital’s Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. I thought it would be a helpful to new residents to think about these important issues before they really start on the wards and she let me run with it. Just two weeks out… Continue reading
It’s All About Conversation #TPSER8
The theme for Day Two in Marseille brought home the value of conversation and communication. Shared decision-making and the process of informed consent once again provided fuel for a robust conversation following Day Two’s viewing of the educational documentary film, From Tears to Transparency–The Story of Michael Skolnik. One student’s comment, “We can’t expect the patient’s family to know they need to be informed,” was a good reminder that keeping patients and families at the center of the solutions being generated in Marseille is again why we are all here.
A second student commented that after the group’s conversation, she now feels “unqualified to get an informed consent,” sharing that she always refers to the risks and benefits of a procedure, but has never discussed alternatives to the procedure. Like the family, unaware of what they need to be informed about, how will medical students know what the informed… Continue reading
John Wooden’s Spirit Alive and Well in Marseille–#TPSER8
“If they haven’t learned it, you haven’t taught it.” This was a Woodenism oft quoted at the Resident Summer Camp in Marseille by special guest faculty, Paul Levy. Wooden and Levy are both coaches and teachers in their respective fields–one hospital administration and the other NCAA Men’s Basketball. With that statement, they both take responsibility to the fullest extent for successfully transferring knowledge to those they themselves are charged with educating. As I reflect on that week, this message rang especially true during the group’s conversation on informed consent and shared decision-making.
One of the residents had mentioned how surprised he was at an intelligent patient’s off-the-mark retelling of the information he had just conveyed. “It was like apples and orange,” he said, as John Wooden’s words rang loud and clear in my head. It was also becoming clear that as care providers, the role also encompasses educator… Continue reading
Nothing About Me, Without Me at #TPSER8
As I reflect on last week in Marseille, I keep returning to the exchange on informed consent and shared decision-making that was stimulated by watching Michael Skolnik’s story on film. The group concurred that their training around informed consent was all but non-existent during medical school and residency. As the conversation continued, it became clear that true patient-centered care would include this often missed opportunity to better understand a patient’s needs, values, preferences and goals as they relate to the risks and benefits of any (and every) procedure. What is successful hand surgery to a painter? Or knee surgery to a prima ballerina? Or heart surgery to a seventy-five year old grandfather who just wants to dance at his granddaughter’s wedding? How does that compare to a successful outcome for the surgeon? And perhaps just as important, does the surgeon know if her patient is painter? A dancer? A grandfather?… Continue reading
Thinking about informed consent
I dont think that I’ve ever thought so much about informed consent as I did today. I’ve always had the self-perception that I communicate well with patients, especially around planned procedures in the emergency department where I work. After today’s discussion, I recognize that I am doing a fine job, but I can also do so much better.
Informed consent is a shared decision making opportunity between patient and physician. At its core, informed consent is a conversation with the goal of allowing the patient to ask questions and hopefully come away with a clear understanding of the procedure to be performed, as well and the risks and benefits of the procedure. Procedures, diagnostic tests, and medications can all be conversations that are pursued with patients under the vigilance of informed consent.
While the conversation is the essential element of informed consent, the informed consent paperwork can serve… Continue reading
Patient-centered Care Education (Shared Decision Making)
Our second day in Marseille finished with the residents watching the award-winning film The Faces of Medical Error…From Tears to Transparency: The Story of Michael Skolnik”. The educational film addresses the importance of informed consent versus shared decision-making conversations – an important aspect of open and honest communication in healthcare that is still lacking in many health systems. The film asks the question – Can a conversation change an outcome? Can a conversation save a life?”
After the film, the residents engaged in a two-hour conversation with faculty and safety leaders on issues related to informed consent and shared decision making. When Paul Levy asked the residents how much training they get on this topic, every resident in the room acknowledged this three-hour session on informed consent/shared decision making was more education than they have received during… Continue reading