Quality and extent of informed consent for invasive procedures: a pilot study at the institutional level in Turkey

Objective: To assess the quality of informed consent for patients undergoing invasive procedures and to reveal patient preferences for being informed about the potential risks of treatment and alternatives to treatment. Design: This studywas planned as a pilot study. Hospitalized patients' perceptions and expectations about the informed-consent process were explored in a general surgery department. The prepared questionnaire was completed by patients via interview. Setting: Inpatient services of the general surgery department of a large academic hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Participants: The study population consisted of hospitalized patients in a general surgery department who underwent invasive procedures in March 2013. Main outcome measures: Recognition of consent forms by the patients, rate of patients' recall of risks, rate of patients who were willing to be involved in decision making, and rate of patients who were satisfied with the whole decision-making process were measured. Results: All patients signed consent forms. Most patients did not properly read the consent form since they trusted their physician. Potential exposure to risk seemed to be important for patient expectations. Conclusions: Paternalism seemed to dominate our clinical setting. The informed-consent process was definitely a separate issue from signing the consent forms. We conclude that the informed-consent process should be modified to be more functional and appropriate to human psychology. We suggest that education is necessary for informed consent to promote better quality and safety in health care.