Bill Harvey: I won’t do what you tell me

In the current scheme for registration run by the College of Optometrists, one area where many trainees fall down is regarding the issue of consent.

Interestingly, most seem to understand the need to follow the rules about data protection and the need for informed consent before contacting a third party regarding personal clinical information. It is when you introduce real life situations that confusion seems to arise. For example, when asking what you might do if a worried relative contacts the practice about a patient you have seen recently, most feel it is their duty to explain the findings of the test and reassure the caller without any resort to consent from the patient first.