Is informed consent practice in a general surgery unit adequate? An audit report
Original Article
Sameeah Hanif, Muhammad Nawaz, Sumera Naseem
Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 29 June 2021; 37(3) pp 192-195
Open Access
Abstract
Objective
To obtain an informed consent is essential part of surgical practice. It not only ensures patients rights but also decreases the chances of legal proceedings against surgeons in case of any issue from procedure. The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevailing practices of getting informed consent and documentation in case of general surgical patients.
Material and Methods
This cross sectional (audit) study was carried out in department of Surgery District Head Quarter (DHQ), Abbottabad from December 2020 till February 2021 in general surgical unit. 132- patients chosen randomly were included. Both cases of elective as well as emergency cases were included. Patient operated on General and spinal anesthesia were interviewed according to questionnaire relating to informed surgical practices. Data of interviewed patients were analysed using spss 17.
Results
132 patients were included in study. Mean age was 34.98±16.1 years. Study comprised of 70 female(53%) and 62(47%) male. 117(88.6%) consent were taken by house officers while 15(11.4%) consent were taken by operating surgeon. 84(63.6%) consent were signed by patients themselves while 48(36.4%) were signed by relatives. All 132(100%) consent were written consent.
Conclusion
The quality of obtaining consent is below optimal and needs improvement. Education amongst health care workers is required so that they realize the importance of patients right’s so they make their own independent decision in the light of knowledge given. Also knowing that to have a complete and up to mark consent is beneficial for clinician in case of legal issues.
Month: January 2022
The Microethics of Informed Consent for Early Feminizing Surgery in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
The Microethics of Informed Consent for Early Feminizing Surgery in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Katharine B. Dalke, Arlene B. Baratz
Journal of Pediatric Ethics, Spring 2021
Open Access
Abstract
Early surgery for genital difference in 46,XX congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is highly controversial, with contested evidence of benefits and risks. While professional urological societies and a parent-led CAH advocacy group maintain that families should have the option to consent for surgery for their child, former patients, intersex-led advocacy groups, and human rights and medical organizations denounce surgery on unconsenting infants for non-life-threatening genital variations. In the absence of clear data, clinicians are encouraged to engage in shared decision making with parents to obtain their fully informed consent. Unexplored microethics issues regarding clinicians’ implicit bias for treatments may interfere with their ability to obtain parents’ fully informed consent in this setting. Implicit bias may be inferred from parents’ experiences and from official and unofficial communications from clinicians.
Interactive Media-Based Community Consultation for Exception From Informed Consent Trials
Interactive Media-Based Community Consultation for Exception From Informed Consent Trials
Jan O. Jansen, Shannon W. Stephens, Brandon Crowley, Kenji Inaba, Sara F. Goldkind, John B. Holcomb
The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 29 November 2021
Abstract
Community consultation (CC) is a requirement for exception from informed consent (EFIC) research. This article explores the issue of how representative such consultations can and should be, with particular reference to the use of media-based activities. Interactive, media-based CC strategies are gaining traction, because they have much greater reach than traditional methods, but the increasing use of such methods has also led to calls to ensure that those contacted are representative of the community at risk. However, this is more complex than at first apparent. This article examines the question of how the “trauma community” should be defined, and what characteristics might be used to assess whether a sample of this community is representative. It also considers what data are actually available in order to satisfy such requirements.
The Problem of Consent in Feminist Practical Ethics
The Problem of Consent in Feminist Practical Ethics
Laura Avakyan, Galina Tsimmerman, Alexander Zimmermann, Vladimir Shcherbakov
Wisdom, 2021; 4(20)
Open Access
Abstract
The article analyzes the topical problem of consent in modern feminist theory as a way of achieving public consensus on the goals and forms of women’s emancipation. The emancipation of women is one of the most important achievements of modern society and an ongoing process. Therefore, the issues that are being discussed within the framework of feminist ethics are appropriate. For example, the extent to which men who hold power and dominance for thousands of years can genuinely liberate women and share with them equal rights and opportunities. There is also an acute problem of the extent to which women themselves are willing to show solidarity and their consent on social and political issues. These issues and discussions by contemporary feminists, who deserve the attention of a wide range of experts in applied ethics, argumentation theory, social and political theory, are addressed in this study.
Center for Informed Consent Integrity 