New Checklist for Surgeons

SINGAPORE – The Chapter of General Surgeons, a professional body that represents about 170 such practitioners, has created forms that cover 26 common surgical procedures. This according to them, will improve the way patients are informed of the risks and possible complications associated with surgical procedures they are about to undergo.

The fact sheet for each procedures lists common or rare complications that can arise from the operation, and is meant to be used as a checklist by a surgeon explaining the procedure to his patient.

According to Dr. Wong Soong Kuan, Chairman of the Chapter, informed consent forms now used in most hospitals are generic and did not ist the risks specific to the kind of surgery to be done. He noted that with the generic form, doctors had to work to recall what could be an exhaustive list of complications unique to the operation for each patient.

The new forms, if used, will give uniformity to the informed consent process.

“They’ll also protect patients by ensuring they get information of sufficient standard, so they can give informed consent,” said Dr. Wong.

The forms were drafted in reaction to concerns that spread through the medical community last year when coorectal surgeon Eu Kong Weng became the first doctor suspended for failing to obtain proper informed consent from his patient.

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