The issue of ‘informed consent’ in medical student introductions

Excerpt

‘Good morning! My name is John Smith and I am a medical student.’ This familiar phrase is employed by medical students the world over in a variety of formats. Despite the varying terminology, the purpose of this introduction remains to obtain ‘informed consent’ from patients. Even though the importance of informed consent is universally acknowledged by doctors, patients and students, Silver-Isenstadt and Ubel [1] found evidence for a worrying decline in the perceived importance of conveying one’s student status in medical students as they progress through medical school. This was in contrast to patients’ desires for clear communication of medical student roles and the scope of their involvement, especially in the context of invasive procedures in operating theatres under the influence of anaesthesia [1]. This calls into question the adequacy of current medical student introductions in obtaining true informed consent. …