
Aligning Patient-Provider Expectations for Informed Consent
Course Credit
The following credits are available for this course:
AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (MD, DO, NP, PA) | 2.25 hours |
Contact Hours (Nurse) | 2.25 hours |
(Note: a course evaluation is required to receive credit for this course.)
This content was created by OPENPediatrics, a peer-reviewed medical education platform for healthcare professionals. Please see www.openpediatrics.org for more information.

Donna Luff, PhD
Associate Director, Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice, Boston Children’s Hospital
Instructor in Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School

Craig Lillehei, MD
Senior Associate, Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital
Transplant Surgeon, Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital
Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School

Rosella A. Micalizzi MSN, RN, CPNP-PC
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Colorectal and Pelvic Malformation Center, Boston Children’s Hospital

Stephen Brown, MD
Director, Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice
Staff Radiologist, Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital
Associate Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School
Communication for informed consent is vital for patients, families, and providers. Yet, it is often inadequate, resulting in poorly aligned expectations for a surgery, procedure, or course of treatment. The pre-operative encounter represents a particular challenge for surgeons, who often have limited time to establish relationships and trust with patients and families. This can result in misaligned expectations between patients, families, and providers. Such mismatch can lead to frustration, anger, and potentially litigation. This course focuses on improving communication and relational skills during the informed consent process to better align provider and family expectations, with a specific focus on surgical informed consent.
This content was created by OPENPediatrics, a peer-reviewed medical education platform for healthcare professionals. Please see www.openpediatrics.org for more information.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this educational program, learners will be able to:
- Articulate patient, family and provider perspectives regarding the importance of enhanced communication around informed consent
- Explain the distinction between informed consent as a form to be completed and a process for aligning expectations
- Utilize strategies for aligning expectations to enhance the effectiveness of informed consent practices

In support of improving patient care, Boston Children’s Hospital is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Physicians
Boston Children’s Hospital designates this live activity for a maximum of 2.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits ™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.
Nurse
Boston Children’s Hospital designates this activity for 2.25 contact hours for nurses. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Disclosures
Boston Children’s Hospital adheres to all ACCME Essential Areas, Standards, and Policies. It is Boston Children’s policy that those who have influenced the content of a CME activity (e.g. planners, faculty, authors, reviewers and others) disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial entities so that Boston Children’s may identify and resolve any conflicts of interest prior to the activity. These disclosures will be provided in the activity materials along with disclosure of any commercial support received for the activity. Additionally, faculty members have been instructed to disclose any limitations of data and unlabeled or investigational uses of products during their presentations.
The following planners, speakers, and content reviewers, on behalf of themselves, have reported the following relevant financial relationships with any entity producing, marketing, reselling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on patients:
Name, Degree | Entity Name, or None |
Stephen Brown, MD | Medtronic – Stock; Johnson & Johnson – Stock; United Health – Stock; CVS – Stock |
Donna Luff, PhD | None |
Craig Lillehei, MD | None |
Rosella A. Micalizzi, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC | None |
Luke Sato, MD | None |
Melissa Cousino, PhD | None |
Adena Cohen-Bearak, MEd, MPH | None |
Aimee Williamson | None |
Valerie Fleishman | None |
Lisa Burgess | None |
David Diamond, MD | None |
Scellig Stone, MD, PhD | Microbot Medical – Consultant; PTC – Consultant |
Terry Buchmiller, MD | None |
Frances South | None |
Tyson Ortiz | Curia Global – Employee |
Viviane Nasr, MD | None |
Lauren Mednick, PhD | None |
Elaine Meyer, PhD, RN | TMRW Life Sciences, Inc – Consultant and Advisor |
Richard Blum, MD | None |
Pamela Varrin, PhD | None |
Caleb Nelson, MD | None |
Christine Rachwal, RN, MSN, CCRN | None |
Erin Ward, MsEd, CAS | None |
David Waisel, MD | None |
Please see the FAQs below for common questions about how to work through a course. If you have a question or issue that is not addressed in the FAQ, please use this form to submit a help request, or if your issue is urgent, call the CME office at: 617-919-9908.
How do I navigate this course? There are two ways to access and navigate course content with the interactive table of contents: at the bottom of the main course page or in the sidebar on the right side of the page. Select the links in the table of contents to access the corresponding content. Depending on the course, access to content may be linear, in which case each content module or section can only be accessed if the prior ones are completed, or non-linear, in which case modules and sections can be accessed in any order. Use the breadcrumbs at the top of any course page to orient yourself within a course, or return to a previous course section or the main course page. How do I claim credit? If the course has been accredited, available credits will be displayed on the course home page. Select only those credits that apply to your profession, and click/tap “Apply Selection.” You may make your selection at any point while you are taking the course, or after you have completed it. How do I download a certificate? There are two ways to view/download your certificate: from within the course or from the course listing under your profile (select the document icon). In either case, you must have selected at least one available course credit type to generate a certificate. How do I view/print my transcript? You must be logged in to view your transcript. Select My Profile at the top of the page. If you do not see the transcript selector, be sure the Courses tab is selected. Select the type of credit and dates to include in your credit report. To include all credits from all time, leave the options blank. Select Download Transcript to view/download your transcript. Note each credit type in your transcripts starts a new page. How do I request a refund? Please email the CME Department to request a refund.How do navigate this course?
How do I claim credit for this course?
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