Consent

Before going ahead with an operation the surgeon must obtain consent from the patient, that is the consent to operate.  The process of obtaining consent is that the surgeon must explain and be satisfied that the patient understands the reasons for carrying out an operation, the potential advantages and the potential disadvantages or complications of the procedure.  This involves a discussion about the whole process. 

 In this context it is necessary to understand the natural history of the disease if an operation is not carried out, ie if continued conservative measures are taken and also what would happen if an operation is carried out in terms of the improvement in quality of life, pain reduction, mobility etc and any downsides to the operation and the nature of these complications. 

 This whole process is quite complex, particularly when considering fairly major surgery and different patients have different rates and capability of processing this information and different surgeons have potentially different styles in conveying the information.  There are many different sources of information available to patients.

Clearly a face to face consultation with the surgeon is the mainstay but there are also patient information leaflets, websites and of course television and radio.  It can sometimes be difficult for patients because there is too much information and they can feel overwhelmed. Sometimes it is necessary to discuss things with your surgeon on more than one occasion prior to making a definitive decision about surgery.