Informed consent is the process of educating a patient about the risks, benefits, and alternatives of an intervention before it is administered. Discussing informed consent with a patient should include the following. One, the indication and expected benefit of the procedure, two, potential risks of the procedure, three, alternatives to the procedure, and four, if appropriate, preoperative photographs will be taken as part of the medical record. Appropriate informed consent must be documented in a patient's medical record, whether verbal or written. Here's a brief example of a verbal consent for a shave biopsy. I want to discuss with you a procedure called shave biopsy because we noticed a spot on your skin that is concerning for a basal cell carcinoma. Before we proceed with this procedure, I want to talk to you about why we're doing it and what are the potential risks, what are some alternative options, and what might happen if we do not move forward with the procedure. The shave biopsy is expected to confirm a diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma and help us choose the best treatment for it. Skin biopsy is very safe, but any procedure can have potential risks. In the case of a shave biopsy of the skin, such risks include bleeding, infection, scarring, pain, swelling, bruising, or a reaction to the local anesthetic. This procedure is not expected to treat the lesion, so you may still need additional treatment. We will review post-biopsy care instructions with you as part of the procedure and provide these in written form as well. If you choose not to do the biopsy, we could monitor the lesion instead, but I'm concerned about a basal cell carcinoma, which has the potential to grow or spread. We could surgically remove this lesion, but this has the potential to over-treat if we are not yet certain of the diagnosis. We will take photographs to help us locate where the lesion was after the biopsy. Do you have any questions about this procedure? We will call you with your biopsy results within a week, and the results can also be viewed on your patient portal. Many invasive procedures require written consent and a patient's signature. Informed consent should always be documented in the patient's chart. Language about informed consent should be understandable and tailored to the patient. Informed consent is an important part of shared decision-making in patient care.

informed consent

medical procedure

shared decision-making

patient education

shave biopsy