Doctors' understanding of consent law

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Obtaining informed consent is an important responsibility of all doctors and is a major component of their day-to-day practice. However, little is known regarding practising doctors' understanding of consent in relation to medical law. AIMS: To gain insights into current doctors' understanding of the legal requisites that underpin the consent of patients to medical procedures in Australia. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of Western Australian medical practitioners was conducted. A 15-question online questionnaire (SurveyMonkey, USA) was developed and distributed to Western Australia medical practitioners via social media, hospital-based Junior doctor society pages and through t..