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Abstract Aims Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a common general surgical procedure with approximately 65,000 procedures performed per year. The consent process is imperative as serious life changing and life-threatening risks must be discussed with the patient before surgery. At our trust, this is currently performed with a generic consent proforma which is filled in during each consent process. We aimed to streamline this process for clinicians and ensure all risks were discussed. Further, we aimed to ensure the process was more medico-legally sound with increased legibility by removing the handwritten aspect and ensure concordance with GMC and RCS informed consent guidance. Methods We produced a standard computerised consent form for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This included a diagram to aid patient explanation and sections where all the key risks of the procedure could be checked off once discussed. Results The consent form has proven popular with clinicians and has streamlined the consent process. It has ensured legibility of the consent form for all involved and is therefore preferable from a medico-legal perspective. It also ensures consistency for all patients undergoing the same consent process. Conclusions Standardising the consent process using this procedure specific form has helped clinicians cover all the necessary areas with patients before surgery and should be considered for other common operations. Producing the consent form has also been an excellent educational opportunity for trainees, who can now consider all risks associated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy using a single document.
Carey et al. (Sun,) studied this question.