Medico-legal
Improving quality, safety and professionalism in practice. Everything you need to help you with clinical and legal challenges.

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Consent in everyday practice: reflections from a GP
Consent is embedded in everyday clinical care, often in conversations that become second nature. Dr Sally Parsons draws on three consultations and Avant’s claims insights to show why consent must be specific, voluntary, ongoing and clearly documented.

Failure to advise patient of treatment options results in $215,000 damages award
Informed consent requires doctors to give a patient all the information they may need to make an informed decision about their healthcare. In this case the court found that both surgical and conservative options should have been discussed.

Consent for non-procedural care
Consent is required not only for procedures, but also for other clinical activities such as prescribing medications, ordering investigations, and performing physical examinations. This course focuses on consent in non-procedural contexts, where the need for discussion may be overlooked or assumed. Using common clinical scenarios, it examines material risk disclosure, consent for treatment plans, and consent in sensitive examinations. The course supports doctors to integrate consent conversations seamlessly into routine care while meeting professional and legal standards.

Consent in care
Consent is more than a form. It is an ongoing conversation that helps your patients understand their options and make informed decisions about their care. In this video, Avant’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Steve Robson, explores how you can strengthen consent processes in your everyday practice.

An introduction to patient consent – post measuring outcome activity
This is a Measuring Outcomes activity (MO) to be completed after course 'An introduction to patient consent' – (RACGP #1681336)

An introduction to patient consent
Informed patient consent is a fundamental professional, ethical, and legal obligation for all medical practitioners. This course provides a practical introduction to the principles that underpin valid consent, including disclosure, voluntariness, capacity, and documentation. It explores why consent is not a single form or signature, but an ongoing communication process that supports patient autonomy and shared decision-making. Designed for doctors at all stages of practice, this course establishes a common baseline for understanding consent across clinical settings.

Consent-related claims
What are the main issues driving member consent-related claims? Find out the underlying themes across all specialties and insights to reduce your risk of these types of claims, in our analysis.

I trained to treat people. Turns out I also had to know the law.
You didn't go into medicine because you love the law. So if you were caught off guard when you realised your job as a doctor isn't just clinical, you're not the only one. For many junior doctors, that moment they realise isn't a dramatic one. It can be a form on a busy shift, a conversation you're not sure is yours to have, or a signature someone wants because you're the one standing there.