Quality of Informed Consent Among Patients Who Underwent Major Surgical Procedure in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Informed consent is the process by which a patient learns about and understands the purpose, bene fi ts, and potential risks of a medical or surgical intervention and then agrees to receive the treatment. It is a legally required process before performing any medical or surgical procedure. In most setups where surgical services are being provided, most components of informed consent are not always complete. The aim of this study is to assess the quality of informed consent among surgical patients admitted to the surgical ward of SPHMMC (St. Paul ’ s Hospital Millennium Medical College) from March 4 to April 12, 2019, G.C. Methods and Materials: This is an institution-based prospective cross-sectional study done on patients admitted to the surgical ward of SPHMMC from March 4 to April 12, 2019, G.C. A total of 135 patients were selected by simple random sampling and were interviewed after their surgeries and before discharge. Results: The informed consent form does not have any of the essential components of surgical informed consent. Out of 135 respondents, only 8.1% of the patients received the minimum required components of informed consent (a good quality informed consent). 85.9% were told their diagnosis, 55.6% knew the bene fi ts of the surgery, and 60.7% knew the consequences of not doing the surgery. Only 26.7% of respondents received explanations about the risk of the procedure. 44.4% of patients were told alternative options of treatment. Conclusion: The quality of informed consent is poor in the surgical ward of SPHMMC. The hospital administration (surgical department) should develop a protocol on the amount of information disclosed to patients before surgery and train all medical personnel.