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In reply

We appreciate Dr Goldblatt's thoughtful commentary with which we fully agree. We and Dr Goldblatt believe that surgeons have an important opportunity to convert the consent process from a legalistic exercise, as it is often practiced, into a substantive conversation that accomplishes the education and partnership that are the hallmarks of true shared decision making. We thank Dr Goldblatt for emphasizing the role of the consent form and explaining how altering the timing of its completion can further that goal.

AUTHOR INFORMATION
Correspondence: Dr Bernat, Neurology Section, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, 1 Medical Center Dr, Lebanon, NH 03756 (bernat@dartmouth.edu).

James L. Bernat, MD; Lynn M. Peterson, MD

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Patient-Physician Communication Using Consent Forms
David Goldblatt
Arch Surg. 2006;141(7):715.
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