Persistence of inadequate consent training for interns

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Patient Safety
• Informed Consent

Background:

• Informed consent is an ongoing patient communication process, not just form signing.
• Irish Medical Council guidance restricts intern delegation for consent to minor, familiar procedures after explanation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess changes in intern practices regarding informed consent over the past five years.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous Google Forms survey distributed to interns across all networks.
• Survey conducted between August 24 and November 26, 2021.

Main Results:

• 147 of 854 interns responded (17.2% response rate).
• 87.8% consented to procedures, 86% for procedures not witnessed prior.
• 71.3% lacked supervisor explanation, 99.2% lacked senior observation during consent.
• 89.9% regularly obtained consent, 60.5% felt pressured; results unchanged since 2016.

Conclusions:

• Interns are routinely involved in consent without adequate training or supervision.
• This situation is detrimental to junior doctors and patients.
• Adherence to Irish Medical Council guidance is necessary; senior clinicians must address this deficiency.