Consent Forms

[topcat]

Whenever I read of a clinic suing a patient because the patient felt the need to write about his poor experience I am always a little shocked. I would have to believe most people are familiar with libel laws and know very well that publishing something that is not true can turn out to be a very bad idea. Where most of these patients make their mistake is in signing a consent form which specifically limits their ability to comment on their own results.

Over the years and the numerous consultations I always made it known that I like to post to the forums and I always asked if this was going to be a problem. With many of the clinics I could easily sense that it was in fact a problem sometimes with no words spoken.

Prospective patients, if you need to sign a consent form which specifically limits your ability to speak and write about your experience than you need to seriously consider choosing another clinic. I know sometimes in our excitement we will often let something that seems inconsequential slide this is certainly not one of them.

I have seen enough self deleted posts and patients that often just disappear not commenting on their own results to know that this does happen often enough in this industry to raise the point.

And of course this is surgery and results can sometimes not meet the expectations of the patient for many reasons. Ethical clinics do not need to hide but can speak openly and explain any situation in a logical manner. It is only when you purposely try to deceive others that truth and logic no longer works.