Question: You have a 16 year old in your practice who presents complaining of fatigue. To keep this uncomplicated, all ROS are negative and the physical exam is normal. You order a CBC, TSH, FT4 and an EBV panel. The FT4 comes back 1.1 and the TSH is 9. So not knowing the answer for sure, you call pediatric endocrine, and they tell you just to observe and repeat the test in three months. They don't like to start treating a TSH below 10 if the FT4 is normal.
So:
1. Do you just consider this part of the patient's care and a curbside consult and do not ask for permission from the parents or a release?
2. Do you call the parents to get consent
3. Do you need a written consent?
4. What if the consultant asks the patient's name (as 80% of consultants here do so they can look up the labs or just have a general idea what is going on and the age of the child?
5. In the case, do you get a phone consent and release from the parent before you talk to the consultant.
You are, after all, doing this in the best interests of your patient.
Last edited by Bert; 09/28/2023 2:12 PM.
