Informed consent video for surgery
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Informed consent in surgery: a pilot study evaluating the effect of using a patient information video as part of the informed consent process for surgery
IRAS ID
256273
Contact name
Dimitris Reissis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research and Development Office, Mid Essex NHS Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
n/a, n/a
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
Consenting patients for surgery is performed to varying standards between hospitals, departments, doctors and patients. Inherent variations in time and resources available, previous experience and knowledge regarding the procedure lead to a lack of standardised care and potential for poor patient understanding and satisfaction with their consent process and overall care. \n\nNHS hospitals and departments must continuously reflect on their performance and save money where possible within the tight budget available. ‘Failure to warn’ of potential risks and complications is directly linked to 86.1% of litigation claims in surgery processed by the NHSLA annually. The NHSLA pays out a total of £1.2billion in litigation costs each year, which represents a significant financial burden to the NHS as a whole, of which a significant part is related to poor consent practice. \n\t\nThis study will use a specifically designed animated video for informing patients about their flexor tendon repair surgery. They will be given access to the video online and be able to watch this an unlimited number of times in the time between their decision for surgical treatment, and the surgery itself. They will also be able to think about how the surgery will affect them personally in areas such as their work, home-life and hobbies, and ask their surgeon specifically about these before providing their own truly informed consent, rather than basing this on a more generic discussion about risks and complications without prior involvement or understanding. \n\nThis pilot study, comparing outcomes from using the video versus current standard consent practice, is aiming to identify areas for improvement in our ability to support patients with the information they need to fully understand and be informed of their surgery, and encourage patients to become actively involved in their decision making, when providing their informed consent.
REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SW/0025
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion