Hospitals Board Introduce General Consent Form
Bermuda Hospitals Board [BHB] have announced the introduction of a General Consent form for patients which they say is “an addition to the list of required consents currently in place for patients”.
A spokesperson said, “Traditionally it has been assumed that anyone attending the hospital wanted treatment. Introduction of the General Consent form now formalises this relationship.
“The General Consent form covers routine medical care and non-invasive procedures. Simply put it is your consent to care. It is worth noting that BHB has always required consent forms for invasive procedures such as surgery and blood transfusions, and that use of these will continue.”
BHB CEO Venetta Symonds explained the need for the form: “In our mission to provide exceptional care and a healthy community, we want to ensure that you are informed about your needs and that we have your permission to provide the best options available for health care diagnostics and intervention at the earliest possible opportunity.
“In fulfilling this mission we also need to know that every person that has been afforded our medical services or treatment, has given their permission to receive it and been apprised of their right to refuse it.
“We understand that no one wants to feel forced into health care decisions especially as these are often needed at times when we are most fragile and vulnerable.”
The spokesperson said, “The General Consent form will become mandatory for all BHB patients over time. At present patients of the Diabetes Respiratory Endocrine and Metabolism [DREAM] Centre, Fracture Clinic and Allied Health Services are asked to complete it if they want to obtain treatment or services.
“Members of the public do not have to sign the form but failure to sign it means no treatment or services will be given.
“Processes are in place for those who are vulnerable and unable to sign on their own behalf. These processes will be extended and used with this additional consent form.”
Members of the public can visit the BHB website to review the form as well as frequently asked questions and answers
The full Fact sheet and Consent Form follows below [PDF here]:
This looks like more red tape for the sake of red tape.
What will be the cost in both time and dollars for printing, explaining, completing, filing & retaining this additional form & its associated process? If for decades it has been okay to assume that a patient who voluntarily enters the hospital and seeks treatment is consenting to treatment, then what has changed now to make one believe that the patient really hasn’t consented unless he has signed a form? Is there a real practical problem that BHB is trying to solve (e.g. a history of patients coming to receive care & then later claiming they did not consent to receive general care)? Or, rather is this just the risk management department and liability averse management going a step too far creating more administrative costs and red tape for a theoretical problem which does not really exist in practice?
Here’s an idea for BHB: Why don’t you cut out the unnecessary red tape and administration and instead save those dollars to reduce the sky high cost of health care in Bermuda? Patients will ultimately be served better by a health care system they can afford to have and use when needed than by one whose cost structure is bloated by excessive administration of questionable value which inflates system costs, which in turn inflates insurance costs, which ultimately causes lower income people to go without insurance and then as a result go without timely and adequate health care.
Well said, Jason B, you ask all the right questions. Unlikely any answers will come from the ivory towers, tho.