Advance Consent for Interventional Radiology Procedures: Quality Improvement Project

Advance Consent for Interventional Radiology Procedures: Quality Improvement Project
Rohan Shankarghatta, Alexandra Garnett
The Physician, 17 February 2025
Abstract
Background
Advance consent is crucial for patients undergoing Interventional radiology (IR) procedures with potential serious harm. Two previous audits at our hospital revealed issues with obtaining consent before the day of the procedure, leading to the implementation of a consent clinic. Subsequently, a new electronic patient record (EPR) system was introduced. This third audit cycle assessed whether these changes improved the advance consent rates for vascular IR procedures.
Method
We retrospectively reviewed 53 patients who underwent vascular IR procedures in January 2023, noting whether each procedure was inpatient or outpatient, urgent or elective, and the procedure type. These results were compared with previous cycles to evaluate adherence to consent standards.
Results
Among the 53 patients, there was an even split between inpatient and outpatient procedures, as well as between urgent and elective procedures. 27 patients underwent lower limb angiogram/angioplasty, 19 had fistula work, and 7 underwent other procedures. 77% of patients consented in advance or had the consent process initiated beforehand.
Conclusion
An improvement in advance consent rates was noted compared to previous cycles (14% → 63% → 77%) following the implementation of consent clinics and the new EPR system. However, 33% of patients, primarily those undergoing fistula work, still consented on the day of the procedure. This audit highlights the benefit of the new EPR system and the need to continue consent clinics, emphasizing the importance of advance consent, especially for fistula procedures.