Informed consent for middle ear operations: a United Kingdom survey

Otorhinolaryngologists throughout the UK routinely perform middle ear operations. Although the risk of serious complications in the hands of a well-trained surgeon is very low, some of the complications of middle ear surgery are devastating to the patient viz. facial nerve palsy and complete hearing loss. The subject of informed consent is highly topical because of clinical governance and medico-legal implications. We have audited the practice of the Consultant members of the British Association of Otorhinolaryngologists-Head and Neck Surgeons via a postal questionnaire with regards to their consenting process prior to middle ear operations. Our study looked at the practice of discussing different complications and the complication rates, the person consenting, time spent on consenting, and the documentation. We found that wide variations exist in the consenting process. The implications of the results are discussed. This study is particularly pertinent at the present time with the implementation of the new consenting standards document published by the Department of Health.