Survey of the use of consent for patient treatment in intensive care units in the south east of England and London

Abstract

Objective: To investigate patient consent policy for Intensive Care treatment. Design: A telephone survey and verbal questionnaire. Setting: Sixty-six Intensive Care units in South East England and London. Interventions: Respondents were asked about policy regarding the requirements for consent for treatment on their intensive care unit (ICU), and the practical use of that policy. Measurements and results: Only 11% of ICUs always used consent forms and 15% never used consent forms. The remaining ICUs occasionally obtained consent depending on the procedure and the doctor concerned. There was no agreement as to who should give consent under these circumstances, and most ICUs understood that consent obtained in this situation was not legally recognised. Conclusion: There is no unified policy for consent in the intensive care units for temporarily incapacitated patients in the south east of the UK. A process of discussion involving the patients' family and the nursing staff i.e. a form of verbal consent is t...