[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Clinical skills](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/) › [OSCE stations](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/stations/) › The informed-consent station # The informed-consent station - OSCE station In this station the student explains a procedure to a patient, its risks, benefits and alternatives, and checks that the patient understands and freely agrees. Updated Nov 13, 2026 ## Key points - Valid consent needs capacity, information, understanding and a voluntary decision. - Give the purpose, the procedure, the benefits, the common and serious risks and the alternatives, including doing nothing. - Check understanding with teach-back: ask the patient to explain it in their own words. - A patient with capacity may refuse; respect it, explore the reasons and document it. - Consent is a process, not a signature: it can be withdrawn at any time. ## What it is The consent station tests whether the candidate can obtain valid informed consent for a procedure or treatment, such as an endoscopy, a lumbar puncture, a blood transfusion or an operation. Valid consent has several elements: the patient has decision-making capacity, receives adequate information, understands it, and decides voluntarily, without pressure. The information covers the diagnosis or reason for the procedure, what will be done, the expected benefits, the common and the serious risks, the reasonable alternatives (including doing nothing) and what happens afterwards. Examiners look for plain language, small chunks of information, checking understanding by asking the patient to explain it back (teach-back), inviting questions, and respecting the patient's right to refuse or to take time. The standardised patient may raise a worry, misunderstand something or hesitate, to see whether the candidate listens rather than pushes. The candidate should also say that consent can be withdrawn at any time and that it will be documented in the record and on the consent form. ## What is assessed - Capacity: the patient understands the information, retains it, weighs it and communicates a choice. - Information: diagnosis, nature and purpose of the procedure, benefits, risks, alternatives and aftercare. - Voluntariness: no pressure from staff or family; the patient may take time or ask for a second opinion. - Communication: plain language, no jargon, chunks and checks, written material when available. - Documentation: what was discussed, the questions asked, the decision and the signed form. ## How to do it (and why) - Introduce yourself, check identity and ask what the patient already knows — start from their understanding. - Explain why the procedure is offered and what it involves, in plain words — understanding is the core of consent. - Describe the benefits and then the common and serious risks — balanced information is what makes consent valid. - Present the alternatives, including no procedure — the patient cannot choose without knowing the options. - Pause, invite questions and address worries — the actor usually has a concern that carries marks. - Ask the patient to explain it back — teach-back shows real understanding, not a polite nod. - Confirm the decision is voluntary, offer time to decide and state that consent can be withdrawn — it protects autonomy. - Summarise, explain the next steps and document the discussion — the record and form complete the process. ## Mistakes that cost marks - Reading a list of risks without checking whether the patient understood any of them. - Leaving out alternatives, especially the option of doing nothing. - Using jargon or giving too much information at once. - Pressuring a hesitant patient instead of exploring the reason. - Treating the signature as the goal instead of the conversation. - Not assessing capacity when the patient seems confused or the case suggests it. ## Self-check list - I found out what the patient already knew. - I explained the purpose and the procedure in plain language. - I gave benefits, common and serious risks. - I offered alternatives, including no procedure. - I invited questions and dealt with the patient's concern. - I checked understanding with teach-back. - I confirmed the choice was free and could be withdrawn. - I summarised and said how it would be documented. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## What are the elements of valid informed consent? Decision-making capacity, adequate information, understanding of that information and a voluntary decision without pressure. ## What four abilities show that a patient has decision-making capacity? Understanding the information, retaining it, weighing it to reach a decision and communicating that choice. ## What is teach-back and why is it used in the consent station? Asking the patient to explain the procedure and its risks in their own words; it shows real understanding rather than a polite yes. ## What should the candidate do if a patient with capacity refuses the procedure? Respect the decision, explore the reasons and correct misunderstandings without pressure, discuss alternatives and document the refusal. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/clinical-skills/the-informed-consent-station/) ## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia - [Informed consent: elements and how to obtain it](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/informed-consent-elements-and-how-to-obtain-it/) - [Decision-making capacity (competence) and how to assess it](https://durgical.com/en/medical-ethics/decision-making-capacity-and-how-to-assess-it/) ## Connections ## Related 3 - [How the ECOE works and how it is marked](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/how-the-ecoe-works-and-how-it-is-marked/) - [The counselling and explanation station](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/the-counselling-and-explanation-station/) - [The breaking-bad-news station](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/the-breaking-bad-news-station/) ## Related conditions 1 - [Acute appendicitis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/acute-appendicitis/) [← All clinical skills](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/) Educational content; it does not replace supervised hands-on training, your institution's protocols or a prescriber's order. A procedure is learnt with a teacher and done only once you are trained to do it. Sources: [Informed Consent](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430827/) (StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf), 2024). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/the-informed-consent-station/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/the-informed-consent-station/