Informed consent in surgical practice with patients’ experiences: A cross-sectional study

Seda Kumru, İzmir Bakırçay University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Health Management Department, TürkiyeFollow
Pakize Yiğit, Istanbul Medipol University, Medical School, Department of Medical Statistics and Medical Informatics, TürkiyeFollow
Meryem Demirtaş, Istanbul Medipol University, School of Health Sciences, Health Management Department, TürkiyeFollow
Hüseyin Fındık, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, The Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology, TürkiyeFollow

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate patients' experiences and perspectives regarding informed consent in surgical practice. Data for this cross-sectional study were collected from 276 patients using a questionnaire developed by Falagas et al. Descriptive statistics were employed for all questions. Statistical tests such as the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's rank correlation analysis were performed, and Cohen's effect sizes were reported. IBM SPSS 23.0 was used for all analyses, and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. A high score on both The Delivered Information Index and The Patient-Physician Index represents a positive informed consent process. Among the participants, 65.2% indicated that they understood all parts of the consent form. Of all patients, 92.8% reported that information about the specific surgical procedure was provided by physicians. However, 47.5% of the patients reported that they did not feel comfortable with their surgeons. The mean score of the Delivered Information Index was 5.63 (2.38). The mean patient-physician relationship score was 14.38 (3.31). There was a moderate positive correlation between the delivered information index and the patient-physician relationship (r=0.50; p<0.001). In addition, there was a moderate positive correlation between the delivered information index and the time spent on the informed consent process, as well as between the patient-physician relationship and the time spent on the informed consent process (r=0.52; r=0.40, respectively). The study emphasized the lack of communication between patients and physicians, the limitation of information on treatment risks, adverse effects, and alternative treatment options.

Experience Framework

This article is associated with the Policy & Measurement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://theberylinstitute.org/experience-framework/).

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Recommended Citation

Kumru S, Yiğit P, Demirtaş M, Fındık H. Informed consent in surgical practice with patients’ experiences: A cross-sectional study. Patient Experience Journal. 2023; 10(3):42-48. doi: 10.35680/2372-0247.1768.