title: Legal aspects of consent 2: the different forms of consent.
abstract: Mary, following preoperative medication, was taken to theatre for a biopsy for possible breast cancer. When the theatre staff went through their checklist they could not find a consent form. The consultant surgeon said that he had seen her in the outpatients' department 2 weeks before and she had given a clear consent, not only for the biopsy but also for a radical mastectomy should the results show that to be necessary. He said that he had no problems with continuing the operation. The theatre sister was unsure of the legal position.
authors.affiliation: University of Glamorgan.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dimond
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy / Q000523:psychology; D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D015409:Mastectomy, Radical / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology; D008499:Medical Records / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D009871:Operating Room Nursing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006113:United Kingdom