Patient choice: the shape of consent post-Montgomery
- Resource Type
- Original Paper
- Authors
- Sellars, Shaun; Sutherland, Lauren
- Source
- British Dental Journal. 234(9):655-659
- Subject
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 0007-0610
1476-5373
The law relating to consent and the process dentists need to go through to gain valid and informed consent to treat patients changed significantly following the landmark ruling of Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board. In this paper, we revisit the history of patient consent, give an update on the current legal situation in the UK, and produce a unique 'consent workflow' to aid in the process of gaining valid and informed consent to treat. The aim is to clarify the legal standing and provide a framework that dentists and other healthcare professionals can adapt to their current clinical practice while increasing the confidence of those involved in the consent process; both professionals and patients.
Key points: Provides an overview of the current legal position regarding consent to treat. Describes the consent process in detail.Introduces a unique workflow to aid in gaining valid and informed consent in practice.