Abstract
Background
Local steroid injection is a common procedure and not without risks.
Aim
To establish the current practice of obtaining informed consent for local steroid injection among shoulder and elbow surgeons in the UK.
Methods
A postal questionnaire survey was distributed to 176 orthopaedics surgeons in UK who were members of the British Elbow and Shoulder Society.
Results
68% of the surgeons considered local steroid injection invasive. 88% of the surgeons obtained verbal consent only. Of these, only 19% recorded the discussion. Almost all the surgeons (96%) explained the desired effects and 26% provided statistical evidence of local steroid injection. About 88% of the surgeons mentioned other drugs included in the injection. Only 13% of them mentioned the dose of the steroid used. 82% and 77% of the surgeons offered alternative treatment options and the right to refuse injection respectively. 85% and 59% of the surgeons discussed local and systemic risks of steroid injection, respectively. The most common risk mentioned by the surgeons is short term increase of pain.
Conclusions
Majority of the surgeons used verbal consent only for local steroid injection. The consent discussion was not regularly documented in case notes and the information delivered varies.
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