Issues of consent in colonoscopy: if a patient says 'stop' should we continue?

Colonoscopy is generally performed under intravenous sedation, which may al ter a patient's responses and perception. What should be done if during the procedure, a patient withdraws the consent previously given? The views of gastroenterologists and patients were ascertained by mailing questionnaires to 100 members of the British Society of Gastroenterology and to 100 patie nts who had undergone colonoscopy with intravenous sedation. Only 1 of 59 eligible consultants who replied said they would stop the proc edure after a single request, but a further 51 would stop if, repeatedly as ked to do so. Of the remaining 7 who would complete the procedure, 1 nevert heless believed that a sedated patient is capable of making a rational deci sion. Of the 51 patients who returned a usable questionnaire, 25 thought th at the procedure should be stopped immediately following a request, while 2 6 felt that the doctor should continue. The divergent and sometimes inconsistent Views found in this study highligh ted the need for further clarification of the issue of informed consent for procedures conducted with the patient under sedation.