Consent is a Conversation

"That wholesome conversation that you take a minute or two to go through really creates a physician-patient relationship, expands that communication. Probably will not only improve patient outcomes, but reduce medical-legal risk for physicians in the consent process." — Dr. Lisa Thurgur

A signed form isn't consent. It's paperwork. On this episode, Dr. Mariam Hanna is joined by Dr. Lisa Thurgur — emergency physician, award-winning educator, and a physician advisor with the Canadian Medical Protective Association — to unpack what meaningful consent looks like in daily practice. Inadequate consent is one of the most common allegations in CMPA cases, across every specialty.

On this episode:

• The three elements of valid consent — and what capacity actually means
• Why a signed consent form is not the same as an informed patient
• Implied versus expressed consent: when each applies, and when to re-consent
• Why serious risks like anaphylaxis — and death — must be disclosed, and how to frame that conversation
• Consent in minors: why maturity — not age — determines capacity (with one exception in Quebec)
• What to do when parents disagree — or a minor refuses
• Patients recording their visits: what physicians need to know
• PARQ: a four-point mnemonic for structuring both the conversation and the chart note
• The say-back technique: asking patients what they understood, and why it matters

Done well, consent isn't something you do in addition to practicing good medicine. It improves outcomes, strengthens adherence, and reduces medical-legal risk. In other words, it is good medicine.

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