For the operation to go ahead the patient must give formal consent to the procedure. This gives the surgeon permission to perform the operation. The patient will be asked to sign a consent form or document. In doing so the following points should be kept in mind:
The patient should give informed consent. This means that they should understand the nature of the operation, why it is being done and the potential risks involved.
The patient should have been given sufficient time to think over the issues related to the operation.
The patient should have been given the opportunity to ask any questions they might have and to have received satisfactory answers to these.
The consent document should clearly state the operation that is proposed. This means that plain English should be used and not medical abbreviations or jargon.
The consent document should also be signed by a health care professional who themselves understands the nature and implications of the surgery; ideally this person should be the surgeon who will be performing the operation.
The patient has the right to refuse treatment. A doctor may advise that a cataract operation is necessary but the patient does not have to have the operation if for some reason they do not wish to. The patient does not have to justify their decision to decline surgery, i.e. they do not have to explain why.
Special consenting arrangements apply for children and for adults unable to understand the nature of the operation.
