Medical Expert Answers
Below are some frequently asked questions that have been answered by SDN Medical experts.
If you have a question that is not answered here, please visit the SDN Confidential Consult forum to ask your question of our expert panel.
What are your views on getting informed consent of an obstetrics patient before palpating for their fetus?
I'm a first year medical student and doing a report about some issues in the healthcare system of hospitals particularly in obstetrics. I have noticed that none of the doctors bothered to get consent before palpating the patient's abdomen to monitor the fetus and i wanted your opinion, Since the patients come on a weekly basis and pretty much know the routine, is it still important to get informed consent every time or is the lack of consent not really an issue?
tantacles
Physicians may have different views on this topic, but the generally accepted view is that palpating an abdomen, because it is part of the physical exam and not an invasive procedure, does not require formal informed consent.