O’ Mother, I need ye consent…

The mother looks harmless isn't she? Just look at the child's face...

As I was doing ward round on one fateful morning, I came across a baby who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, a movement disorder caused by the damage to the brain during its developmental stages. 

She was 9 months old and I thought the lady luck was smiling at me because her case was so interesting and it is one of the cases that are likely to come out in the exam.

As such, the temptation of putting your skill into practice on this baby was unbearable.

“Assalamualaikum, Mak Cik. Can I examine your baby?” I politely asked for consent.

The mother looked a bit shocked and confused, with her eyes cautiously looking for any sign of danger.

I try to use the it-will-bring-benefit-to-my-studies excuse.

But, still it didn’t break the silence.

Usually, whenever I want to examine a child there will be no problem in getting the mother to give her consent.

But, in her case it was different. The mother seems to be quite reluctant in allowing her daughter to be a sort of guinea pig under the hands of a medical rookie. 

It was a bit frustrating.

Sometimes, that’s one of the challenges that we, medical students, have to face every day. Not just in the pediatric ward but also in medical or surgical wards.

You just have to get consent from your patient no matter for what reason.

The fact is, without consent you are risking your future career as a doctor because if something wrong happened, there are lawyers out there who are more than happy to lead you to the court’s door.

Some patients are very easy in term of getting their consent. The moment they see you wandering around in the ward looking for a ‘victim’ they will call you while, at the same time, stripping their shirt off for you to examine (metaphorically).

But some patients are at the other extreme end of the spectrum. The moment they see you entering the ward they will immediately close their eyes pretending to be asleep.

Yes, even though you know that they are acting it out, never ever test your luck. Actually, you can tease them but, better spare yourself from any trouble.

Nevertheless asking for consent characterizes the uniqueness of a doctor-patient relationship. It symbolizes the respect that the doctor has towards his or her patient. It also shows that he or she has no other business encroaching into one’s private life (or body parts) except for looking for clues that may help that person getting better or, in my case, to learn.

Therefore, once the precious consent is given and the patient is willing to put his or her trust on you, the next thing to do is to keep that trust.

Alhamdulillah…after very much persuasion and a long pause, I managed to get consent from the mother, albeit half-heartedly.

“Excuse me, but what are you doing with my daughter?” Asked the nervous mother as I started holding her baby up.

“Err…I’m holding her up to see whether she can bear weight or not” I explained to the mother as I slowly put the pressure on the baby’s leg using her own body weight.

“For what…”

“I’m just curious to know whether her condition affects her ability to stand or not.”

“Are you a doctor?”

“Nope. I’m just a medical student…”

Her eyes suddenly turned rage. I could see the shocking stare coming out from her face. She didn’t blink even for a moment.

Sensing that something was not right, I quickly put her baby back lying in the cot.

After saying thank you, I took a few steps back and quickly disappeared into thin air. I just pray that my embarrassing experience won’t become a news item among the nursing staff on the following day.

“Did she know that I’m a medical student?” I asked myself while reflecting on the event that had transpired.

She should know because I’m pretty sure that I have my student ID tag on my white coat. But…

“Did I tell her that I’m a medical student before asking for consent?”…………………………………