Abstract Aims This study audited the quality of consent forms for General Surgery patients listed for elective and CEPOD emergency theatre cases, focusing on how often patients were offered a copy of their consent forms. The Royal College of Surgeons recommends providing patients with a copy for review and retention. This is critical as inadequate consent resulted in 1,194 claims between 2014–2019, costing the NHS £202 million, primarily in surgical specialties and gynaecology. Methods A prospective study was conducted at a Major Trauma Centre and a District General Hospital. Patients were identified from elective surgical lists using the Bluespier Theatre software and from CEPOD lists during handovers. Adults with mental capacity and clinical stability were included. Post-operative feedback was also collected through a retrospective qualitative study. Results Over three months, 141 consent forms were reviewed. In the first cycle (40 patients), all forms were adequately completed, but none (0%) were offered a copy, and only 1 patient (2.5%) received one. After implementing educational interventions and poster reminders, the second audit (101 patients) showed marked improvement: 76 patients (74%) were offered a copy, and 68 patients (67%) received one (percentage differences: 74%, p0.05; and 64.8%, p0.05). The result of this study suggests guidelines on consent forms are not being strictly followed at a tertiary hospital site. With encouragement, poster reminders and education the rate of patients receiving a copy of their consent was improved. Our intervention has improved the quality of consenting within our hospitals and thus patient experience.
Selorfia et al. (Fri,) studied this question.