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| STATEMENT ON PATIENT INFORMATION AND
INFORMED CONSENT. |
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| The concept of informed consent is based
on the principle that a doctor has a duty to disclose to a patient information
which allows the patient to make a reasonable decision regarding his/her own
management / treatment. |
| There is no legal requirement that written
patient consent be obtained prior to an ultrasound examination. However, it is
good practice to ensure that patients are fully informed about the nature and
conduct of the examination so that they can give verbal consent. It is
desirable that this information is provided in written format, is given prior
to their attendance and is reviewed by the person undertaking the scan at the
time of attendance. |
| Written consent will be required for some
interventional and / or intracavitary ultrasound examinations and ultrasound
practitioners should be familiar with Professional Body guidance relating to
these examinations.
(1) |
| 'Information for
Adult Patients Having An Ultrasound Scan' has been produced by the Clinical
Radiology Patient Liaison Group of the Royal College of Radiologists
Under the copyright terms this document can be reproduced
and / or modified to enable users to vary the format, presentation and exact
content according to local policy, practice and population. In particular,
wording may need to be varied to reflect the diversity of locations and
personnel performing the examinations. |
| The BMUS Scientific & Education and
Safety Committees have suggested that additional information may be appropriate
with regard to ultrasound safety and for examinations performed in research
centres and / or teaching hospitals as follows: |
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| Are
there any risks? |
| Ultrasound scanning does not involve
X-rays and so does not have any of the risks associated with ionising
radiation. Indeed it has been shown to be one of the safest of medical
techniques, and is used routinely to scan babies, both before and after birth,
children and adults. It has been used to provide valuable pictures and other
diagnostic information for four decades, with no evidence of any harm. |
| However, just as ordinary sounds that are
too loud can damage our hearing, so very high levels of ultrasound can produce
undesirable effects, for example by warming the tissue through which the
ultrasound beam passes. As a precaution, the doctor or sonographer will take
every care to ensure that the level and duration of the ultrasound examination
are no more than are necessary to obtain the diagnostic image or
information. |
(If contrast agents are likely to be used
additional information would be appropriate; e.g:
A very small proportion of ultrasound examinations may involve an injection of
a tiny amount of "contrast agent" into a vein, usually in the arm, to
improve the quality of the picture or to increase the amount of information
obtained from the scan. All current agents are regarded as extremely safe with
a very low chance of any side effect. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or
if you have heart problems you should let the person giving the injection
know.) |
| Further detailed technical
information about the safety of diagnostic ultrasound may be found on this
website. |
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| Will my
results be used for anything else? |
| You may be asked to give permission for
information from your examination to be used for teaching purposes or in
research studies. Any information used in this way is always used anonymously -
only the healthcare professionals involved in the research will know you have
participated in a study and know which information relates to you. You should
always get a full explanation of the study and will be helping to improve
healthcare in the future if you agree to participate. You do not have to
agree to participate in these studies and your care will not be affected if you
decline. |
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| REFERENCES: |
1. Intimate examinations. Guidance for Members and
Fellows, The Royal College of Radiologists, London. Document BFCR(98) 5
2. The Safe Use of Ultrasound in medical Diagnosis. Ed G ter Haar & F Duck,
The British Medical Ultrasound Society / The British Institute of Radiology,
February 2000 |
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