Patient factors affecting decision regret in the medical treatment process of gynecological diseases

Adequacy of Informed Consent in Elective Surgical Procedures: A Study in a Navi Mumbai Tertiary Care Centre

Background Informed consent (IC) is a voluntary authorisation given by a patient or research subject after fully comprehending the risks involved in various procedures and treatments. Though a patient may fulfill all the aspects of consent by completing an informed consent form (ICF), research indicates poor execution of the IC process by ill-informed patients with little comprehension. The present study was done on patients to assess their understanding and involvement in the consenting process, thereby providing insight into the adequacy and sufficiency of the IC process. Materials and methodology Patients undergoing elective surgical procedures were surveyed using a questionnaire to study whether the written informed consent (IC) process was adequately used in elective surgeries and to assess the patient's understanding of the IC and whether the informed consent forms (ICF) used met the ethical and legal standards for this purpose. The questionnaire was administered to the patients by two surveyors. As per the inclusion/exclusion criteria, data was collected from 221 admitted patients who were planned to undergo or recently underwent various elective surgical/operative procedures. Descriptive analysis using frequency and percentages of the positive and negative responses was used to analyse the data. Results In 219 (99%) of the cases, informed consent was taken. Two hundred-eight patients (94.1%) understood the knowledgeable consent information, while 13 (5.9%) did not. Of the total 221 patients, more than 90% of patients were informed about the nature and indication of the surgery. The expected benefits were told to 83.25% of patients, while possible complications of the procedure were reported to 91 patients (41.2%). Of the total, 58.37 % of patients knew the type of anaesthesia used for elective surgery. Two hundred and sixteen (97.73%) patients favoured the informed consent process, and 213 (96.38%) were satisfied with the information provided in the consent form. The education status of the patient varied, with nearly 15.5% being illiterate while 35.3% being educated till high school. Patients undergoing surgical procedures must be explained the nature and indication of the proposed surgical treatment, including its benefits and risks. About 208 (94.1%) of the patients stated that they understood all the information provided in the ICF, and 213 patients (96.3%) were satisfied with it. Most patients (88.7%) exercised autonomy in deciding to undergo surgery. Ninety-seven percent of patients favoured the IC process, of which 38.46% believed informed consent has a medicolegal significance. Conclusion The present study revealed that a better understanding of the informed consent by the patients is a vital component of the process as it helps exercise autonomy in the decision-making process. However, the lack of information in the informed consent forms critically affects the quality and adequacy of the IC, thus posing ethical and legal challenges to genuinely informed consent.

"I'd never have that operation again" - a mixed-methods study on how patients react to adverse outcomes following foot and ankle surgery

BACKGROUND

Adverse outcomes arising from foot and ankle surgery, including lack of pain relief, increased disability and perioperative complications are infrequent but inevitable. This mixed-methods study aims to explore the impact of adverse outcomes on patients following nonemergent foot and ankle surgery.

METHODS

Patients who underwent foot and ankle surgery over a two-year period were invited to participate in this study if they reported an adverse outcome. Qualitative assessment consisted of individual semi-structured interviews, designed to explore the decision they made to have surgery and the impact of the outcome after surgery. Quantitative assessment was performed using questionnaires on demographics, current analgesia, foot pain, health-related quality of life, psychological health, and regret.

RESULTS

Twelve participants (eight women) consented for inclusion in this study. Current foot pain was high in 10 participants, five met the criteria for central sensitisation syndrome and two had clinically significant pain catastrophising. Most participants regretted their decision to have surgery. The three major themes identified were expectations, communication, and alternatives.

CONCLUSIONS

Self-reported adverse outcomes following foot and ankle surgery were prevalent and participants in this study consistently complained of persistent pain. Regret was common and reasons cited for their adverse outcomes centred around the feelings of inadequate communication and failure to meet expectations.

Adequacy of measures of informed consent in medical practice: A systematic review

As a critical component of medical practice, it is alarming that patient informed consent does not always reflect (1) adequate information provision, (2) comprehension of provided information, and (3) a voluntary decision. Consequences of poor informed consent include low patient satisfaction, compromised treatment adherence, and litigation against medical practitioners. To ensure a well-informed, well-comprehended, and voluntary consent process, the objective and replicable measurement of these domains via psychometrically sound self-report measures is critical. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the adequacy of existing measures in terms of the extent to which they assess the three domains of informed consent, are psychometrically sound and acceptable for use by patients. Extensive searching of multiple databases (PsychINFO, PubMed, Sociological Abstracts, CINAHL, AMED) yielded 10,000 potential studies, with 16 relevant scales identified. No existing scale was found to measure all three consent domains, with most only narrowly assessing aspects of any one domain. Information provision was the most frequently assessed domain, followed by comprehension, and then voluntariness. None of the identified scales were found to have adequate evidence for either high quality psychometric properties or patient user acceptability. No existing scale is fit for purpose in comprehensively assessing all domains of informed consent. In the absence of any existing measure meeting the necessary criteria relating to information, comprehension and voluntariness, there is an urgent need for a new measure of medical consent to be developed that is psychometrically sound, spans all three domains and is acceptable to patients and clinicians alike. These findings provide the impetus and justification for the redesign of the informed consent process, with the aim to provide a robust, reliable and replicable process that will in turn improve the quality of the patient experience and care provided.

Survey to define informational needs of patients undergoing surgery for Crohn's anal fistula

AIM

There are many surgical treatments used in Crohn's anal fistula, although none is perfect. Decisions about surgery in this condition may be preference sensitive. The aim of this study was to identify what information patients would like in order to make treatment decisions and to explore experiences of making decisions in this setting.

METHOD

A survey was designed based upon qualitative interviews and input from patients and clinicians. It included a long list of informational items to be ranked on a scale of importance, a control preference scale, the decision regret scale, and items exploring preferred information formats. This was distributed through 10 English hospitals to patients with recent surgical treatment for Crohn's anal fistula. Results were analysed using principal component analysis, to identify key informational needs, and other appropriate descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

In total 92 questionnaires were returned (response rate 41.8%); 48 (52.5%) respondents were women and 54 (58.7%) had undergone seton insertion. Principal component analysis identified three information needs: wound and aftercare, effect on perianal symptoms, severity of surgery. Decision-making preferences showed a desire to participate in decision-making. Median decision regret score was 25/100 (i.e., low). The preferred format for sharing information to support decision-making was from the surgeon, 80/92 (87.0%), and from a booklet, 58/92 (63.0%).

CONCLUSION

Key informational needs in this condition are wound and after care, effect on perianal symptoms, and severity of surgery. Patients would like this information to help engage in shared decision-making.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Version of the Decision Regret Scale

Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the decision regret scale (DRSc).

Methods

The data of 704 patients who completed the DRSc were used for the analyses. We evaluated the construct, convergent/discriminant, and known-group validity; internal consistency and test-retest reliability; and the item invariance of the DRSc. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to confirm the optimal cutoff point of the scale.

Results

A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated that a one-factor model fits the data. The internal consistency (α = 0.74) and test-retest reliability [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.71] of the DRSc were acceptable. The DRSc demonstrated unidimensionality and invariance for use across the sexes. It was confirmed that an optimal cutoff point of 25 could discriminate between patients with high and low decisional regret during clinical practice.

Conclusion

The DRSc is a parsimonious instrument that can be used to measure the uncertainty inherent in medical decisions. It can be employed to provide knowledge, offer support, and elicit patient preferences in an attempt to promote shared decision-making.