Draft revised statement on Information, choice of treatment and informed consent
The Medical Council of New Zealand (Council) is reviewing its existing statement on Information, choice of treatment and informed consent, and is seeking your input.
The draft revised statement (the draft) retains most of what is in the existing statement with some changes for readability and to ensure it is more patient-centred. There is greater emphasis on involving the patient’s family/whānau/caregivers in discussions about the patient’s care and treatment.
Several new paragraphs have been added to provide guidance on:
- Instances where the doctor delegates the provision of treatment or advice to another doctor.
- The time pressures and resource constraints that doctors face, and the impact this has when giving patients information and supporting them to make a decision.
- Factors to consider when the clinical presentation of an anaesthetised patient is such that it warrants further investigation or intervention which the patient has not consented for.
- Obtaining the patient’s consent if an observer attends the consultation.
You will find links at the bottom of this page to the consultation document, Council’s draft updated statement on Information, choice of treatment and informed consent (Appendix 1) that we are consulting about, and the existing March 2011 statement (Appendix 2).
This consultation paper has been widely circulated to the profession and to other relevant stakeholders. We welcome your responses to some or all of the questions in the consultation paper (attached below), or by forwarding your feedback in a separate document. If there are any other comments you would like Council to consider, please include them with your response. Submissions and suggestions may be sent to:
Kanny Ooi
Senior Policy Adviser and Researcher
Medical Council of New Zealand
PO Box 10509
The Terrace
Wellington 6143
or by email to kooi@mcnz.org.nz.
We look forward to receiving your comments by 31 May 2019.
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The Medical Council of New Zealand (Council) is reviewing its existing statement on Information, choice of treatment and informed consent, and is seeking your input.
-
The draft revised statement (the draft) retains most of what is in the existing statement with some changes for readability and to ensure it is more patient-centred. There is greater emphasis on involving the patient’s family/whānau/caregivers in discussions about the patient’s care and treatment.
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Patients are entitled to information about their health and the care they are receiving. This statement outlines what we expect of doctors when helping patients to make an informed decision about their care and treatment.