Accreditation

When to obtain informed consent, and the difference between it and surgical.

Accreditation Connection, September 5, 2005

You should obtain informed consent from your patients no more than 30 days before the scheduled procedure, according to Robin Bagwell, RN, corporate director of clinical services at Surgicare, Inc., in Houston.

And the difference between informed and surgical consent is: informed consent explains the risks, benefits, and alternatives to the procedure and anesthesia; surgical consent includes basic information about the patient (e.g., date of birth, type of procedure, Social Security number, physician's name, etc.).

Adapted from the September issue of Briefings on Ambulatory Accreditation.

 

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