Do I need to sign a form before surgery operation?

The principle of informed consent is a fundamental part of contemporary medical practice, applicable whenever surgery, major treatment or a risky investigative procedure is undertaken. Its primary purpose is to inform patients of the nature of the procedure, the risk associated with it, unexpected outcomes, other available option and the likely consequences of inaction. It serves also as a protection for doctors, to the extent that it demonstrates that you were indeed forewarned.

To fulfill its chief purpose properly, however, an informed consent document be intelligible to the average patient, and accompanied by thorough oral explanation of its contents. Do not sign a document you do not understand, but do not feel you have given up all your rights as a patient by signing. A consent form is not a blanket release; it indicates only that you understand the risks of the proposed procedure. In a life threatening emergency, however, informed consent may be waived.

If you declined your doctor’s proposal, won’t your doctor’s feelings be hurt if you ask for another doctor’s name? An experienced doctor is extremely unlikely to be offended because a patient wishes to have a second opinion – and a good doctor is likely to recommend one in any unusual or hard-to-diagnose case. Don’t be embarrassed, but do be straight-forward. His feelings are likely to be hurt only if you don’t tell him beforehand. If you are not ready though, to undergo any surgical operation, you might consider or your doctor give you option for an elective surgery.

What is elective surgery?

Deciding whether to undergo a recommended surgical procedure is often difficult and should be discussed to your complete and reasonable satisfaction. In general, elective surgery does not mean that an operation is entirely optional but simply that it is not an emergency. There is time to consider alternatives and some leeway in scheduling.

In fact, both minor and major operations fall under the heading of elective surgery, from tonsillectomy to lung removal, hysterectomy to microsurgery of the knee. What is at issue is the relative  urgency of and the alternatives to an operation, both of which require a full appraisal from your GP or the specialist to whom you have been referred.