Ethical considerations in gaining consent for airway management
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study exploring patient attitudes to airway management under general anaesthesia and the process of consent
IRAS ID
236119
Contact name
Atul Kapila
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Modern general anaesthesia has become safer. When they arise, problems with management of the patient's airway remain at the top of the list of causes of morbidity and mortality. As the importance of informed consent has become more recognised we are interested in what matters to patients during management of their airway during general anaesthesia. Adult patients presenting for elective surgery under general anaesthesia at the Royal Berkshire Hospital will be approached, given information about the study and consent obtained. They will be asked in a face to face interview to complete a questionnaire with clinical scenarios for four situations.
1.During routine general anaesthesia with standard airway equipment.
2.Where difficulty with the airway is anticipated and special airway equipment and techniques will need to be used.
3.Where a trainee anaesthetist is being supervised and learning airway management
4.Where research on airway management, using novel equipment or techniques is being proposed.
The results of this study will be compared to answers from a similar questionnaire answered by anaesthetists. Differences in how much and what information regarding airway management matters will be used to create written material for patients and anaesthetists that will be tested to see if it improves comprehension and communication for both groups.REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EE/0178
Date of REC Opinion
23 May 2019
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion