Skip to content
  • Final Day for Registration Renewal!!
  • A+ A- Reset
  • Search
  • Registrant Login
Subscribe YouTube
College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia

Is Your OT Registered?

  • For the Public
    • What Occupational Therapists Do
    • Patient Relations Program
    • How to File a Complaint
    • Public Notices
  • For Occupational Therapists
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Registration
      • Current Registrants – Renewal
        • Registration Cards & Receipts
        • Update Your Contact Information
        • Currency Hour Requirements
        • Taking a Leave or Resigning
        • Practising Outside British Columbia
      • Returning to Practice
      • Canadian Educated Applicants
        • Notes for New Graduates
      • OTs Registered in Another Province
      • Internationally Educated Applicants
      • Practice Across Jurisdictions
      • Applicants – Apply For Registration
      • Criminal Record Check (CRC)
      • Fees & Insurance
      • Application FAQs
    • Quality Practice
      • Quality Assurance Program FAQs
      • My QAP
      • Annual Continuing Competence Review
      • Competence Screening & Assessment
      • Improving Competence
    • Practice Supports
      • Case Studies
      • College Webinars
      • Learning Modules
      • Podcasts
      • Ask a Practice Question
      • Practice Resources
    • COTBC Newsletter
  • Standards
    • Code of Ethics
    • College Bylaws
    • Competencies
    • Practice Standards & Guidelines
    • Scope of Practice Statements
    • Advisory Statements
  • About Us
    • What We Do
    • Strategic Plan
    • Annual Reports
    • Our Board of Directors
      • Our Committees
    • Our Staff
    • Careers & Partnerships
    • COTBC News
  • Contact
  • Cultural Safety & Humility
    • Our Commitment to Indigenous Anti-Racism, Cultural Safety & Humility
    • History, Colonization & Impacts on Health Care
    • Indigenous Anti-Racism Cultural Safety and Humility (IARCS&H) Resources
      • IARCS&H-Related Legislation & Reports
      • Land Acknowledgements
      • IARCS&H Learning Opportunities
      • IARCS&H-Related Websites
    • Our IARCS&H Initiatives

Public Input on Informed Consent

December 15, 2021

At a recent BC Public Advisory Network meeting, staff from nine different Colleges met with members of the public to discuss the topic of informed consent. While registrants must meet their College’s Practice Standards that set out the requirements for obtaining informed consent, it was helpful to hear the client’s unique perspective. Public advisors were asked what they expect from health care professionals when it comes to informed consent. Following are highlights from the discussion on public expectations:

  • Explicitly express that treatment requires their consent. Not everyone is aware that consent is needed.
  • Be cautious about using family members to translate when obtaining consent for higher risk interventions, sometimes the translation isn’t accurate.
  • Watch out for literacy issues if written text is being used. Consider adding diagrams. Offer pre-reading material if available.
  • There are opportunities for discrimination when obtaining consent. If practitioners assume that the client cannot understand the description of the treatment, language used may not be clear, truthful, or complete.
  • Do not make assumptions about the choices or preferences of the client.
  • Invite the opportunity to ask questions and engage with the client.
  • Be empathetic and considerate of the client’s lived experience.
  • Have evidence to back up treatment suggestions. Some clients will have done online research and will expect a conversation about pros and cons of treatment options.
  • Ask the client to repeat back their understanding of the treatment to ensure that the information has been understood. Reaffirm consent.

When asked why consent is important to the public, the responses were powerful:

“It’s important to take the time to get consent properly, if you have a good process, it builds trust.”

When providing consent, “… we are putting our health and wellness in the hands of a practitioner. It is our right to do so with the best possible information.”

Interested in learning more about the public advisors’ perspectives? Read the full BC-PAN meeting summary.

Posted in COTBC Newsletter, COTBC Newsletter - December 2021

Post navigation

Registrants Invited to Review New Competencies
Taking Care of Yourself This Time of Year

Recent Posts

  • May 24, 2023

    Proposed Amendments to the Health Professions Designation and Amalgamation Regulation

    Published by natasha

    The Ministry of Health is proposing amendments to the Health Professions Designation and A…

    Read More »

  • May 9, 2023

    Career Opportunity: Manager, Quality Assurance Program (QAP) and Practice Advisor

    Published by webadmin

    We’re recruiting a dynamic individual to join our engaged team. In this role, you’ll m…

    Read More »

  • May 3, 2023

    Ministry of Health Sets Timeline for College Amalgamations

    Published by natasha

    COTBC recently received a letter from the BC Ministry of Health confirming the amalgamatio…

    Read More »

  • March 24, 2023

    Registrar’s March Monthly: BC-PAN, Amalgamation, New Staff

    Published by natasha

    The BC Public Advisory Network (BC-PAN) recently held a workshop on the Modernization of H…

    Read More »

News Archives

Share On: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia

Suite 402
3795 Carey Road
Victoria, BC V8Z 6T8

Office Hours
Monday to Friday: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Weekends & Statutory Holidays: Closed

Tel: 250 386-6822
Toll Free (BC): 1-866-386-6822
Fax: 250 386-6824

info@cotbc.org

The COTBC office is located on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) peoples, including the BOḰEĆEN (Pauquachin), SȾÁ,UTW̱ (Tsawout), W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip), and W̱SÍḴEM (Tseycum) First Nations, who have had a special relationship with this land since time immemorial. We are grateful visitors here where we conduct our important work.

Copyright © 2023 College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia, all rights reserved.
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Privacy Policy
  • to top