Use of abbreviations in consent forms for orthopaedic surgery: A pilot study

Consent is a process of communication and the consent form is an important legal document of the evidence of discussion between doctor and patients. We observed frequent use of abbreviations in the consent forms in our department that can result in misunderstanding and miscommunication when consenting patients for orthopaedic procedures.

We completed an audit cycle starting by reviewing a total of 350 consent forms retrospectively in level one trauma centres in October-November of 2019 for different orthopaedic trauma procedures. The standards for the project were guidelines published by the general medical council (GMC), The royal college of surgeons (RCS) Glasgow, and the British orthopaedic association (BOA).The results were presented at our mortality and morbidity meeting. Written Feedback was obtained from the attending members on how a change can be implemented to increase ccompliance in filling consent forms. A generic email was sent to all medical professionals to avoid the use of abbreviations on the document and encourage colleagues to point out errors if they spot them. The use of full medical terms and to avoid abbreviations in consent form was well advertised, The re-audit was performed for the period of January & February 2020 that included 400 consent forms. The results were analysed and compared with our original audit results.

The use of abbreviations declined from 54% in first audit to 22% in the re-audit. DVT and PE were the most common abbreviations.

This audit cycle has shown the importance of education and reminders to the health professionals in achieving better adherence to the guidelines and improves patient care.