Customizable pre-printed consent forms: a solution in light of the Montgomery ruling

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Quality Improvement
• Patient Consent

Background:

• Audit cycle project focused on improving consent for lower limb arthroplasty.
• Addressed new standards in surgical consent and material risk communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a new consent form on the quality of the consent process for lower limb arthroplasty.
• To enhance adherence to new standards for surgical consent, emphasizing material risks.

Main Methods:

• Reviewed 50 consecutive consent forms for total hip and knee replacements over 3 months for legibility and completeness.
• Introduced a new, pre-printed yet customizable consent form and repeated the review process.

Main Results:

• The customizable form significantly improved legibility.
• Reduced human error and eliminated jargon and abbreviations.
• Effectively reflected individualized material risks for each patient.

Conclusions:

• Pre-printed, customizable consent forms enhance legibility, completeness, and consistency in surgical consent.
• Facilitates highlighting patient-specific complications, meeting new standards for informed consent.
• Integral to an extended consent process for improved patient understanding and satisfaction.