A consent form arrives on a clipboard, usually the evening before, often handed over by someone who is not the surgeon. You sign it because everyone is waiting.
That is not informed consent, and you are entitled to considerably more than that. You have a right to know what is proposed, why, what the risks are, and what the alternatives are — in a language you understand — before you agree to anything.
Here is what to ask while there is still time to ask it.
About the operation
What exactly is being done, and why? In plain words. If you cannot repeat it back to someone at home, it has not been explained yet.
What happens if I do nothing? The most under-asked question in medicine. Not every condition needs operating on, and some can be watched. You are entitled to know what "wait" looks like — including how long you could reasonably wait, and what would signal it is time.
What are the alternatives? Medication, physiotherapy, a less invasive procedure, a different technique. Ask why this one was chosen over those.
What are the risks, and how likely are they? "There are always risks" is not an answer. Ask for the specific complications of this operation, and roughly how often they happen. Ask particularly about the ones that would change your life rather than your week.
What is the realistic outcome? Not the best case. What most people in your position get. If the answer is that it will reduce the pain rather than remove it, you want to know that before, not after.
About who is operating
Who will actually perform it? In teaching hospitals the consultant you consulted may not be the person holding the instruments. That is often entirely appropriate — but you are entitled to know, and to ask that the consultant be present.
How many of these do you do? For anything complex, volume correlates with outcome. This is a fair question and a good surgeon will answer it without offence.
Who is the anaesthetist, and can I speak to them? Anaesthesia carries its own risks and its own set of questions, and the anaesthetist is the right person for them. Ask for that conversation if it has not been offered.
About afterwards
How long in hospital, and how long until I am back to normal? Ask for both — discharge and actual recovery. They are very different numbers, and the second is what your family needs to plan around.
What will I not be able to do, and for how long? Driving, lifting, stairs, work. For anyone self-employed or doing physical work, this is the question that determines whether the timing is even possible.
What does follow-up involve? Dressings, removal of stitches, physiotherapy, review appointments. These have costs and time attached that rarely appear in the surgical estimate.
What should worry me after discharge? Fever, bleeding, increasing pain, swelling. Get the specific list, and get the number to call.
About cost
What is the total estimate, in writing? And crucially: what does it exclude? Implants, consumables, ICU days, blood products, doctors' fees and physiotherapy are commonly outside the headline figure.
What happens if it costs more than the estimate? Complications extend stays. Ask how that gets handled and communicated.
If you have insurance, ask the hospital's insurance desk two things: what your room rent limit is, and whether your policy applies proportionate deduction. Choosing a room above your limit can quietly reduce payouts across the whole bill, not just the room charge.
The consent form itself
Read it. Yes, on the evening before, tired. It is the one document that says what you agreed to.
Check it names the specific procedure, including which side — left or right — where that applies.
Do not sign anything blank, and do not sign a form with sections yet to be filled in.
Ask for it in a language you read. You are entitled to have it explained in a language you understand; a form in English signed by someone who does not read English is not consent.
You may write on it. If you want to specifically exclude something, or note a condition you have discussed, say so and have it recorded.
You can change your mind, including after signing, right up to the procedure. Consent is not a contract you are trapped in.
Two practical things
Take someone with you to the conversation. Nobody retains a discussion about their own surgery well — fear takes most of it. A second person hears different things and remembers more.
Write the answers down. You will not remember them, and the family member who was not there will ask.
If the answers do not satisfy you, or the conversation keeps being rushed, that is a good reason to get a second opinion. For elective surgery there is almost always time for one, and the surgeon who cannot spare fifteen minutes to answer these questions has told you something worth knowing.
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