The illusion of explanatory depth in patient consent

The illusion of explanatory depth in patient consent
Correspondence
George Rarichan, Stephen Bacchi, Aashray Gupta, Weng Onn Chan
Eye, 22 November 2023
Excerpt
    Ullrich et al. highlight the importance of informed consent discussions with patients, especially when considering vitreoretinal surgeries and eye removal procedures, where the risk of sympathetic ophthalmia may be a material consideration. Consent with respect to sympathetic ophthalmia can be a vital topic which can be further elucidated with patients through understanding of the concept of the “illusion of explanatory depth”.
The illusion of explanatory depth refers to the tendency of individuals to overestimate their understanding of complex concepts, which has important implications for the informed consent process, especially in intricate medical contexts like vitreoretinal surgery and the risk of developing sympathetic ophthalmia. Informed consent is a fundamental ethical principle, especially entailing patients’ entitlement to a thorough comprehension of the potential risks and benefits of a procedure. Understanding how this cognitive bias may influence both patients and doctors may enrich the consent process. For example, this bias may mean that patients feel they have a greater understanding of a procedure and risks, than they truly do. Similarly, a doctor may feel they have a greater understanding of the circumstances and priority of a patient than is the case…