WP8.4 - A closed-loop audit on the use of abbreviations in consent forms in the digestive disease department at a tertiary care centre

Abstract

Abstract Background Consent forms can be misinterpreted due to the use of abbreviations and also in a court of law as a medico-legal document We performed this closed-loop audit to identify and improve the quality of medical consenting in this department. Method A prospective collection of data was done from July – Aug 2023 for the first cycle and Oct- November 2023 for the second cycle. 180 (100 surgical and 80 endoscopy) consent forms were analysed in the first cycle and 100 (50 surgical and 50 endoscopy) consent forms in the second cycle. Interventions in the form of posters, teaching sessions and discussions in the clinical governance meeting were used to improve the practice. Results In the first cycle, 99% of the surgery and 76 % of the endoscopy had abbreviations. The majority of abbreviations used were in the “risk” subsection (85% in surgical and 86 % in endoscopy) and in the title section (75% in surgical and 86 % in endoscopy). In the second cycle, 56% of the surgery and 4 % of the endoscopy had abbreviations. The majority of abbreviations used were in the “risk” subsection (42% in surgical and 78 % in endoscopy) and in the title section (38% in surgical and 66 % in endoscopy). Conclusion There was a significant drop in the use of abbreviations after the intervention. There were a few biases during the audit including unequal distribution of the consenting doctor. We are planning to improve this figure further by emphasising the importance of consent forms in the induction program of new juniors in the department.