Page 23 - Part 1 Anesthesiology Common Risk Issues

SVMIC Anesthesiology: Common Risk Issues

Informed consent for anesthesia should be conducted by

a physician member of the anesthetic team, and should be
separate from all other categories of informed consent needed.
8
An anesthesia-specific document should be developed by
hospitals and practices in order to highlight the importance and

significance of the anesthesia procedure.

The discussion and documentation should include:

• The anesthesia plan

• Any associated risks and benefits specific to the
anesthesia plan

• Any alternatives, any associated risks to the alternatives

• Potential modification of the plan

Other things to keep in mind with regard to the informed

consent discussion would be that the discussion should be in
terms understandable to a lay person. Also, you should educate

and get consent forms signed prior to the administration of any
sedation and ensure the patient has time to ask questions.

The medical record should include patient-specific notes and

references. In the case of patients who have consented to
regional anesthesia, the risks of an emergency dictating the

administration of general or additional anesthesia should be
explained to the patient and documented in the record as there

may not be time to obtain additional informed consent from the
patient.

8 In certain limited settings such as epidural placement for labor analgesia, CRNAs often conduct the
informed consent discussion. A good rule of thumb is that the practitioner who will be performing
the anesthesia procedure should be the person who conducts and documents the informed consent
discussion.

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