Perceptions of Informed Consent in the Care of Elderly People in Five European Countries

Abstract

The focus of this article is on elderly patients' and nursing staff perceptions of informed consent in the care of elderly patients/residents in five European countries. The results suggest that patients and nurses differ in their views on how informed consent is implemented. Among elderly patients the highest frequency for securing informed consent was reported in Finland; the lowest was in Germany. In contrast, among nurses, the highest frequency was reported in the UK (Scotland) and the lowest in Finland. In a comparison of patients' and nurses' perceptions, nurses had more positive views than patients in all countries except Finland. Patients with less need for nursing interventions in Greece and Spain gave their consent less often. The German and Greek patients were older, and the results also point to an association between this and their lower frequency of giving consent. In Spain, patients who were married or who had a family member or friend to look after their personal affairs were more likely to be included in the group whose consent was sought less often. This is the fourth of a set of five articles published together in this issue of Nursing Ethics in which the results of this comparative research project are presented.

Nurses’ perceptions of individualized care: an international comparison

“…The Greek scores were high, but not consistent with the results obtained from previous cross‐cultural comparative studies on nurses’ perceptions of care (e.g. Schopp et al. 2003a,b, Scott et al.…”

“…Previously, it has been found that, in a European context, there were differences on a North‐South axis (e.g. Schopp et al. 2003a,b, Scott et al.…”

Factors associated with nurses’ opinions and practices regarding information and consent

“…1,2l-25,28 However, patients' consent, also regarding information disclosure to others, was reported as requested less frequently. 22,[25][26][27][28] Furthermore, many nurses agree to deliver information to relatives without the patient's consent. 29 No associations were found between nurses' characteristics and their perceptions of patients' information needs, 18,21 while inconsistent associations across countries were found between nurses' perceptions of the maintenance of patient autonomy by the means of information and consent and nurses' gender, educational level, work status, and previous training in ethics.…”

“…Nursing Ethics 21(3) (100) 24 (10) 36 (15) 41 (17) 60 (25) 50 (21) 26 (11) Male (N (%)) 58 (24) 8 (33) 10 (28) 10 (24) 7 (12) 16 (32) 7 (27) . 112 (47) 5 (21) 19 (53) 20 (49) 23 (38) 32 (64) 13 (50) .011…”

Ethics in nursing homes: Experience and casuistry

“…Between 1998 and 2001, a comparative study of ethics in nursing homes was conducted in five European countries: Finland, Spain, Greece, Germany and Scotland 14–18 . The study analysed the concepts of autonomy, privacy and informed consent.…”