The changing face of informed surgical consent

Abstract

The introduction of procedure-specific brochures improved patients' pre-operative knowledge. Although the failings of current consenting practice are clear, the Request for Treatment consenting process would not appear to be a viable alternative because of the large number of patients unable to accurately recall the nature of the proposed surgery or potential complications, following consent counselling.

Quality, Readability, and Trends for Websites on Ankyloglossia

“…8 The Internet has become the premier information source for patients and parents for independently accessing medical information. 9 Since information on the Internet is largely unregulated, the type of material and quality of that material can vary widely. 10 One search may produce a spectrum of websites including medical journal articles, expert opinion pieces, blog posts, question-and-answer forums, and even advertisements.…”

Informed consent for clinical treatment in low-income setting: evaluating the relationship between satisfying consent and extent of recall of consent information

“…Paternalism in the patient-doctor relationship is thereby discouraged. Interestingly, many studies have documented that patients’ recall of information known to have been made available during informed consent sessions has been generally poor [ 18 , 19 ]. In instances where the cognitively sound patient is not given the needed information [ 18 ] or may not have met the surgeon up until the day of surgery [ 20 ], the knowledge base of the patient is usually lower.…”

Patient Preferences for the Method of Delivery of Preoperative Patient Information

“…However, the internet is becoming an increasingly popular source of medical information owing to its wide availability, frequent updating and the use of multimedia formats in presenting data. [1][2][3][4][5] This study is unique in the literature in assessing patient preference on the method of receiving preoperative information.…”

“…1,6 indeed, some studies reveal that recalling even the simplest data can be a challenge. For example, in a study by Oosthuizen et al, 38% of patients were unable to recall the surgical procedure they had undergone, with 54% unable to recall even a single potential complication.…”

“…4 Previous studies have examined the impact of patient education on the consenting process with provision of patient leaflets, brochures and internetbased resources, many concluding that increased patient information provision was associated with better informed patients and better patient satisfaction. [1][2][3] However, there is a lack of evidence in the literature as to how patients would prefer to receive this information. This study was therefore undertaken to ascertain what information patients were given prior to consenting and their opinion of this information.…”