<p>Knowledge and Perception of Ethiopian Surgical Patients to Informed Consent Practice for Surgical Procedures</p>

Abstract

Background: Surgical informed consent (SIC) is an established ethical and legal requirement for surgical treatment. Patient understanding of the process is essential for efficient surgical care. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of operated patients towards surgical informed consent. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study of all adult surgical patients who signed informed consent and underwent surgery at St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHHMC) from February 1st to March 30th, 2018, was performed. Data were collected postoperatively before discharge using a pretested structured questionnaire. Results: Of 420 patients identified, 385 (91.7%, M:F=2:1) agreed and interviewed. The mean age was 40.3 years (SD± 15.1), and many of the respondents (285, 74.0%) had some level of formal education. Even if most (336, 87.3%) knew the reason why they had surgery, less knowledge and awareness was reported regarding the options of alternative treatments (153, 39.7%), identifying the operating surgeon (129, 33.5%), the type of surgery (160, 41.6%), anesthesia-related risks (96, 24.9%), complications of surgery (69, 17.9%) and postoperative care (4, 1.0%). The legal requirement of surgical informed consent was reported by 267 (69.4%) subjects; however, more than half had no information on the right to change their mind after signed surgical informed consent (223, 57.9%) and whom it protects (224, 58.2%). Only 40 (10.5%) respondents had a good level of knowledge, and it was significant in those with some level of formal education (OR=4.8; 95% CI 1.45-16.01; P=0.010) and in patients who live in an urban area (OR=4.7; 95% CI 1.81-12.35; p=0.002) than their respective groups. Conclusion: Our patients had limited knowledge and perception regarding surgical informed consent. Hence, the current consent process seems inadequate and needs a revisit.

Patient Perception of Informed Consent and Its Associated Factors among Surgical Patients Attending Public Hospitals in Dessie City Administration, Northeast Ethiopia

“…e points were totaled, and a score of five was assigned. A patient's knowledge was assessed to be poor if he or she scored 0 to 1, unsatisfactory if he or she scored 2 to 3, satisfactory if he or she scored 4 to 5, and good if he or she scored 4 to 5 [22]. In this study, the overall knowledge was recategorized as follows: a score of 4 to 5 was judged as good knowledge; a score below 4 was categorized as poor knowledge.…”

Patient knowledge of surgical informed consent and shared decision-making process among surgical patients in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Knowledge and perception of the client towards informed consent in the primary study were assessed in the composite variable. Knowledge of informed consent is measured by the know reason why they had surgery, the option of alternative treatment, type of surgery, anesthesia-related risks, postoperative care, the complication of surgery, the legal requirement of informed consent, the right to change their mind after sign, and who protects [ 13 , 14 ]. Different literature indicated that patient knowledge of informed consent is low.…”

“…In Ethiopia, the magnitude of good knowledge of informed consent among surgical patients is low ranging from 10.5% [ 13 ] to 46.9% [ 18 ].…”

“…Factors affecting knowledge and perception of patient informed consent in surgical procedures are level of education, residence, age, history of signing before, type of surgery, marital status, and occupation significant variables [ 2 , 13 , 17 ].…”

The practice of obtaining informed consent for elective surgery and anesthesia from patients’ perspective: An institutional based cross-sectional study

“…In this study, only 10.5% of the respondents had a good level of knowledge, and it was significant in those with some level of formal education and in patients who live in an urban area than their respective groups. 10…”