On the topic of informed consent and medical malpractice.
When my father was hospitalize last year I went home for a few weeks to be with my family. I have discussed my father's illness here before, but for those of you who are new or missed it: My father had a sore under his compression stocking which became infected. The infection spread to his muscle and ultimately to his blood, putting him on the edge of death for several months. He was in an induced coma, and they did a series of operations to removed dead and infected tissue from his leg. At first this was done bedside, but it became clear that he would need to be transferred to an OR for actual surgery.
The doctor and his two residents came to explain the procedure to my mother and then the resident pulled out the consent from and started reading it outloud to my mother to make sure she understands it. "This form gives Hospital permission to perform procedure on the left leg of.... blah blah risks, benefits"
I look at the paper, then at my father, and then I stand at the foot of my father's bed, facing away from him, I look back at his bad leg, hold up my hands "left hand makes an "L" ", and then let out an "uuuuhhhhhh"
"It is his right leg....."
"What?"
"That form is for his left leg, his right leg needs the surgery"
"Oh! let me fix that, I'll be right back."
Now, I would like to think it would have been clear when they got to the OR, that it was the leg with a necrotic wound dripping puss that needed the surgery, but his other leg was not in great shape really, and my poor mother holding back tears and being brave and signing the forms hadn't noticed, and the doctor who had just looked at his leg hadn't noticed...
Apparently this sort of mix up happens all the time.
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