Appropriate consent and referral for general anaesthesia - a survey in the Paediatric Day Care Unit, Barnsley DGH NHS Trust, South Yorkshire.
BACKGROUND
In November 1998 the General Dental Council introduced guidelines for dental practitioners when referring a patient for general anaesthesia (GA). The practitioner is required to explain the risks associated with GA and the alternatives, give a detailed medical history and a clear justification for providing GA in the letter of referral.


METHODS
A survey was administered on 202 parents or guardians, which aimed to investigate whether they felt that their dental practitioners had advised them of any risks of GA prior to referral. A record was also made if any reasons were given for the provision of GA in the letter of referral.


RESULTS
The majority of the parents or guardians (66%) felt that they were not informed of any of the risks of GA and 25% felt that they were. From the letters of referral, 37% contained a reason for GA and 63% did not give any reason or justification for GA.


CONCLUSIONS
There is evidence that referring practitioners do not adequately explain the risks of the anaesthetic to parents or guardians of children undergoing GA. There is also a lack of clear justification in the letters of referral for providing GA.


CONCLUSIONS
It is essential that the alternatives and the risks of GA are discussed and if GA is still required, a clear justification should be contained in the letter of referral as part of informed consent. More importantly the referring practitioner should keep a contemporaneous record of this, preferably with a signature from the parent or guardian on agreement of referral.
Patel
A M
AM
Orthodontic Department, Birmingham Dental Hospital, St. Chad's Queensway, Birmingham B4 6NN. Ash_Patel_UK@Yahoo.com
D000293:Adolescent; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003796:Dental Service, Hospital; D004282:Documentation; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007258:Informed Consent; D010290:Parents; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012306:Risk; D013218:State Dentistry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom