Informed consent for lumbar puncture
J. R. Botkin
Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve, University at Cleveland Ohio, Metropolitan General Hospital.
Informed consent procedures are commonly employed prior to lumbar puncture.
An understanding of the legal and ethical basis of informed consent is
important in developing an acceptable approach to consent and in dealing
with problems confronted when consent cannot be obtained. I review the
current legal concepts in informed consent and their ethical foundation,
and make recommendations to clinicians for obtaining consent for this
common procedure in the ambulatory pediatric population.
