Emmanuelle Bernheim (@emmabern.bsky.social)

Happy to share this new publication! To Consent and to Refuse Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Study of Consent Documents and Court Orders in the Province of Quebec, Canada With Audrey Ferron Parayre & Delphine Gauthier-Boiteau

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To Consent and to Refuse Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Study of Consent Documents and Court Orders in the Province of Quebec, Canada The objective of this article is to offer a critical analysis of policies and practices concerning consent and refusal of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in terms of their compliance with the legal principles concerning consent to treatment. Using the province of Quebec, Canada, as a case study, we first identified consenting documents and court orders for ECT treatments; we then critically appraised them using National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines on ECT as a gold standard. We find that consent documents suffer lack of clarity and transparency regarding ECT’s medical indication, risks, and benefits. The review of court orders reveals a paucity of information pertaining to the diagnosis, clinical indications, benefits, and potential risks associated with ECT for patients who lack the capacity for consent. https://connect.springerpub.com/content/sgrehpp/early/2024/12/12/ehpp-2024-0011