Women's Dermatologic Society

The WDS Practice Advisory Committee (PAC) shares tips and advice for optimizing consent forms for surgical and cosmetic procedures in dermatology. Include Patient Discussions in Office Notes Don’t forget that a form may not always protect you. It is just as important, if not more, to include the discussion you had with the patient in your office note. The patient can always claim that they didn’t read a form that was put in front of them. - Mark Kaufmann, MD Focus on Patient Dialogue More important than a signed consent form, is a dialogue with the patient to convey the risks, benefits and alternatives of a procedure or intervention, and determining that the patient understands the dialogue as it is pertinent to them. Also, consider having a witness print their name and sign as well as the patient on the consent form. - Monica Li, MD, FRCPC, FAAD Increase Patient Compliance after a New Procedure Give patients a follow up call the day after a new proced...