Consent in Surgery: a Practical Guide

This book is aimed at junior surgical trainees who consent in day to day practice and as an adjunct to those studying for the MRCS exam.

The first chapter deals with the legal aspects of consent in England and Wales and to a lesser extent ethical and practical considerations but is too short and uncritical to do full justice to these issues.

The majority of the book is devoted to nine chapters each covering a few index procedures in individual surgical specialties under the headings procedural considerations, postoperative considerations, additional considerations, consent form, key publications and references. There is some useful information here particularly the publications and references but much of it would be more appropriate to a general surgical textbook. The information that is provided on consent is likely to available in most hospitals in patient information leaflets. The text is poorly laid out making it difficult to flick through as intended. The diagrams are often unhelpful and sometimes confusing.

The Appendices unnecessarily reproduces the department of health consent forms and provides an overview on laparoscopy and laparotomy which would be better placed in the general surgery chapter.

In summary this book retails at close to £25 in paperback and seems to have difficulty in deciding what it is trying to achieve. It seems to be aimed at trainees due to sit their MRCS exam but falls short of remaining interesting and engaging to this audience. The book fails to explain the consent process as a whole and inform the junior surgical trainee in this area. Not to be recommended.

Dr Alistair Millen, BSc, MBChB
Rob Lonsdale, DM, FRCS

This book is aimed at surgical trainees and addresses the legal issues of consent and common procedures throughout a range of specialties.

Consent in surgery is often poorly covered in medical schools focussing mainly on the ethical aspects rather than the law in England and Wales. This book serves to improve understanding of the important legal points when consenting both adults, children and those lacking mental capacity. It covers a range of current, very difficult topics concisely and succintly. The reference sections are up to date and give you the option of researching a topic if you require further information.

I found the procedural explanations, including the indications, benefits, precentage risk, alternatives and reference sections for each speciality very useful. Again, surgical consent for specific specialities is not covered at all during medical school relying on students to seek out teaching on the subject themselves that is often not available. I was therefore unsure how to approach pre-op clinics as many of my colleagues vary in their technique. It gives accurate information concerning surgical procedures and the alternatives that can be easily explained to patients. 

Pictures speak a thousand words to patients and I found the illustrations simple and easily reproducible. This allows further understanding by patients when making the decision about proceeding to theatre. Reading this guide has given me a template that I will use throughtout my surgical career and the confidence to professionally consent patients.

In summary, this book is an easily digestible, refreshing guide to surgical consent that should be on every surgical ward and in every junior doctors pocket either during pre-op clinics or brushing up before MRCS exams. Highly recommended