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Consent for functional endoscopic sinus surgery: are we complying with the law?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2022

H Raja Open the ORCID record for H Raja [Opens in a new window]  and
R Talwar
H Raja*
Affiliation:
ENT Department, Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Luton, UK
R Talwar
Affiliation:
ENT Department, Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Luton, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Mr Haseem Raja, ENT Department, Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Lewsey Road, Luton LU4 0DZ, UK E-mail: haseemraja@hotmail.com
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Abstract

Objective

To assess the current standard of consent for functional endoscopic sinus surgery and determine whether it complies with the law following the Montgomery ruling.

Methods

Ten complications following functional endoscopic sinus surgery were identified as common or serious from a literature search. Using questionnaires, ENT surgeons were asked which of these complications they discussed with patients, and patients were asked how seriously they regarded those risks using a five-point Likert scale.

Results

Consent practice from 21 ENT surgeons and data from 103 patients were analysed. The ‘reasonable patient’ would expect to be consented for all risks, except for pain, and scarring or adhesions. Most ENT surgeons would routinely discuss all risks that were considered significant, except for facial paraesthesia (29 per cent) and damage to the nasolacrimal duct (24 per cent). A negative change in sense of smell was not mentioned by 29 per cent of surgeons.

Conclusion

This paper demonstrates that the current consent process for functional endoscopic sinus surgery is likely to be substandard medicolegally.

Keywords

Endoscopic Sinus SurgeryInformed ConsentMedicolegal AspectsCommunicationRhinology
Type
Main Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 137 , Issue 1 , January 2023 , pp. 81 - 84
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED

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Footnotes

Mr H Raja takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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