Doctors reminded of the importance of taking consent

Doctors in Singapore have been reminded of the importance of keeping detailed notes when taking consent.

Attendees of the MPS-SMA Informed Consent Seminars were told that good practice guidelines regarding note-keeping have not changed. Concerns were raised over the issue following the well-publicised High Court judgment in rejecting an appeal of the Singapore Medical Council decision in the Eu Kong Weng case. Doctors were advised to remain vigilant in taking consent and recording details of the process in the patients’ medical records.

The seminars identified a need for:

• Doctors to accept that a shift towards patient-centred consent is a positive move, and for it to be seen as an opportunity to build trust in the patient-doctor relationship
• Patients to be warned of any risks which may affect the decisions they make regarding their medical care and treatment
• The process of obtaining consent to be carried out properly and recorded in full in the patients' notes, as well as a completed consent form
• Improving the overall standards of documentation; in particular, the consent form; the risk acknowledgement form, and patients' medical records.

The two seminars were held in Singapore in June 2011, in response to requests from members.