Consent and Information Governance Flashcards
who manages dentists?
The General Dental Council
what are contents in the document published by GDC in 2014?
Principles: The core ethical principles of practice
Patient expectations: What patients can expect from the
dental team
Standards: What registrants must do to ensure patient
expectations are met
Guidance: How registrants meet the standards
how are the standards in this document described?
Throughout this document:
‘must’ is used where the duty is compulsory;
‘should’ is used where the duty would not apply in all situations and
where there are exceptional circumstances outside your control that could affect whether, or how, you can comply with the guidance.
Should is also used when we are providing an explanation of how you will meet the overriding duty.
If we receive information which brings your fitness to practice into
question, such as a complaint or a conviction, we will refer to the
standards and the guidance to judge whether you are fit to practise as a dental professional.
what are the standards for the dental team?
- Put patients’ interests first
- Communicate effectively with patients
- Obtain valid consent
- Maintain and protect patients’ information
- Have a clear and effective complaints procedure
- Work with colleagues in a way that is in patients’ best interests
- Maintain, develop and work within your professional knowledge and skills
- Raise concerns if patients are at risk
- Make sure your personal behaviour maintains patients’ confidence in you
and the dental profession
explain principles 3.
Patient expectations
Patients expect:
- To be asked for their consent to treatment before it starts.
Standards
You must:
3.1 Obtain valid consent before starting treatment, explaining all the relevant options and the possible costs
3.2 Make sure that patients (or their representatives) understand the
decisions they are being asked to make.
3.3 Make sure that the patient’s consent remains valid at each stage
of investigation or treatment
can patients withdraw their consent that they have given?
Although a signature on a form is important in verifying that a patient has given consent, it is the discussions that take place with the patient that determine whether the consent is valid.
Patients can withdraw their consent at any time, refuse treatment or ask for it to be stopped after it has started. Discuss outcomes of not completely treatment.
You must obtain written consent where treatment involves conscious
sedation or general anaesthetic.
should you give patients time to think about treatment?
You must provide patients with sufficient information and give them a reasonable amount of time to consider that information in order to make a decision.
You must tailor the way you obtain consent to each patient’s needs.
You must check and document that patients have understood the
information you have given them.
Patients can withdraw their consent at any time, refuse treatment or ask for it to be stopped after it has started.
to make their decision making process easier you can give them leaflets.
why is it important to obtain consent for every appointment?
Giving and obtaining consent is a process, not a one-off event. It should be part of on-going communication between patients and all members of the
dental team involved in their care.
You should keep patients informed about the progress of their care.
You must document the discussions you have with patients in the process of confirming their ongoing consent.
If you think that you need to change a patient’s agreed treatment or the
estimated cost, you must obtain your patient’s consent to the changes and document that you have done so.
how long is consent valid for?
30 seconds
if you can’t obtain consent what can you do?
you may ask someone else however:
- they must be suitably trained and qualifres.
-know enough about the treatment
-understand the risks involved
- follow the princiolpes explained in this booklet.
if you ask someone else to get consent, you are STILL RESPONSIBLE.
what is e-professionalism?
E-Professionalism: Behaviour related to professional standards
and ethics when using electronic communications.
what are the patients expections of principle 4?
Patients expect:
- Their records to be up to date, complete, clear, accurate and legible
- Their personal details to be kept confidential
- To be able to access their dental records
- Their records to be stored securely
what are the standards of priciple 4?
4.1 Make and keep contemporaneous, complete and accurate patient records
- 4.2 Protect the confidentiality of patients’ information and only use it for the purpose for which it was given.
- 4.3 Only release a patient’s information without their permission in exceptional
circumstances. - 4.4 Ensure that patients can have access to their records
- 4.5 Keep patients’ information secure at all times, whether your records are held on
paper or electronically.
what else is part of patient records?
Radiographs, consent forms, photographs, models, audio or visual recordings of consultations, laboratory prescriptions, statements of conformity and referral letters all form part of patients records where they
are available.
priniciple 4.2 is further expanded into what?
This applies to all the information about patients that you have learnt
in your professional role including personal details, medical history,
what treatment they are having and how much it costs.
You must not post any information or comments about patients
on social networking or blogging sites. If you use professional social
media to discuss anonymised cases for the purpose of discussing best
practice you must be careful that the patient or patients cannot be
identified. See our website for further guidance on social networking.
