Re: Appraisal of litigation against English Health Trusts in the treatment of adults with ENT pathology.

摘要

Sir,We read with agreement the December 2010 issue, in which Cartwright et al. quantify the effect of inadequate consent leading to litigation, whilst Siau et al. highlight the benefits of using printed information leaflets, a low-cost intervention appreciated by patients.In elective orthopaedic surgery, we have already witnessed how written information improves patient satisfaction, which itself is a key factor in an increasingly market-driven health service. In our unit, we recently extended the role of written information by producing purpose-written leaflets for our trauma patients too. From our experience, we wish to suggest that otolaryng-ologists may also consider the potential benefits of such a tool, not only in the elective setting but when consenting patients for emergency procedures.