Bad Practice

I HAVE NEVER SEEN AN ULTRASOUND GUIDED LIVER BIOPSY.

Now, is there any point in me asking for consent from one of my patients who was scheduled to go for it on Tuesday morning??!

Who is the person performing the procedure?
The radiologist.

Who insisted that the patient needs to be consented in the ward before going for the procedure?
The radiologist.

This is what the GMC Good Medical Practice said about the issue of "Consent:"

If you are the doctor providing treatment or undertaking an investigation, it is your responsibility to discuss it with the patient and obtain consent, as you will have a comprehensive understanding of the procedure or treatment, how it is carried out, and the risks attached to it. Where this is not practicable, you may delegate these tasks provided you ensure that the person to whom you delegate:

• is suitably trained and qualified;
• has sufficient knowledge of the proposed investigation or treatment, and understands the risks involved

I AM suitably trained and qualified.

However, I am NOT the person undertaking the investigation.

I DO NOT have sufficient knowledge of the procedure, or how it is carried out and the risks (I know a few points...but not completely).

And it is never "not practicable" for the radiologist to obtain the patient's consent.

So tell me, why do I need to be the person consenting this patient? I have explained it to the radiologist himself, and the answer I got was, "Patient NEEDS to be consented before he leaves the ward. If you are not able to do it, get someone more senior than yourself. Otherwise, if I do not see the consent form signed, I will not do the procedure."

That is absolute pish! wtF?!

Even my SHO has not seen the procedure and she definitely was not happy to consent the patient. No one any more senior than myself was in the ward. Therefore, at that time, I had to consent the patient myself. I do not have any other choice. At the end of the day, if patient didn't get his investigation done, I will the one blamed.

It is totally illegal and it just shows super duper bad medical practice. And the radiologist just wanted things to go easy for him, ie, send the patient down, do procedure, and send patient back up to the ward. I know time is a factor, but it should never prevent anyone from abiding good medical practice. Anyone beg to differ??