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Consent to Breast Reconstruction surgery
With development in medical science, women have numerous choices to make regarding surgical procedures, and thus informed consent has become an important issue for breast cancer patients.
Informed consent means that a patient receives accurate information; and she is freely making a decision based on that information. If information is not available on some aspects of breast reconstruction surgery because of lack of research, then the patient should be told that existing research is inconclusive. If doctors express their own experiences to patients, they should also explain the limitations of that information.
In such situations, informed consent should focus on what is not known about long-term risks in addition to what is known about failure rates andl complications. Physicians should provide as much objective information as possible, including long-term follow-up data from their own patients.
What you need to know:-
Before you have any surgery, the surgeon will explain the aims of the surgery. The patient will be asked to sign a form saying that she is giving her consent for the surgery. Before that, the patient should have been given full information regarding:
- An explanation of what it means when signing a consent form
- Full details of what you are going to experience immediately after the operation and also as you recover
- Advice that you have the legal right to refuse surgery even at the last minute, in case there is a change of mind.
- The type and extent of the surgery you are advised to have
- The pros and cons of the surgery
- Any other types of surgery that might be suitable for you.
- All complications and side effects of the surgery.
You have the full libertyto ask for more time to decide about the surgery if you feel that you are unable to make a decision initially.
You are also free not to have any treatment without giving any reason.
It is better to have your partner or a relative with you when the surgery is explained, to help you remember the discussion more fully. You may also find it useful to write down a list of questions before you go to your appointment. Be free to ask about the surgery repeatedly if you think that you are not clear on certain points. Some types of surgery are complex, so it is not unusual for people to need repeated explanations.
Consent forms provide liability protection and give detailed descriptions of the risks - known and unknown. In summary, surgeons need better access to the most accurate information already available on breast reconstruction surgical outcomes. In addition, research is needed to better understand why the rate for breast-conserving surgery is so low, and what programmes would be most effective in ensuring that breast surgery patients receive full information that enable them to make the best possible choices.
The bottom line is that many patients do not have the information they need to make informed choices.