Informed consent process for emergency surgery: A scoping review of stakeholders’ perspectives, challenges, ethical concepts, and policies

BACKGROUND: A scoping review of literature about the informed consent process for emergency surgery from the perspectives of the patients, next of kin, emergency staff, and available guiding policies. OBJECTIVES: To provide an overview of the informed consent process for emergency surgery; the challenges that arise from the perspectives of the patients, emergency staff, and next of kin; policies that guide informed consent for emergency surgery; and to identify any knowledge gaps that could guide further inquiry in this area. METHODS: We searched Google Scholar, PubMed/MEDLINE databases as well as Sheridan Libraries and Welch Medical Library from 1990 to 2021. We included journal articles published in English and excluded non-peer-reviewed journal articles, unpublished manuscripts, and conference abstracts. The themes explored were emergency surgery consent, ethical and theoretical concepts, stakeholders’ perceptions, challenges, and policies on emergency surgery. Articles were reviewed by three independent reviewers for relevance. RESULTS: Of the 65 articles retrieved, 18 articles were included. Of the 18 articles reviewed, 5 addressed emergency informed consent, 9 stakeholders’ perspectives, 7 the challenges of emergency informed consent, 3 ethical and theoretical concepts of emergency informed consent, and 3 articles addressed policies of emergency surgery informed consent. CONCLUSION: There is poor satisfaction in the informed consent process in emergency surgery. Impaired capacity to consent and limited time are a challenge. Policies recommend that informed consent should not delay life-saving emergency care and patient’s best interests must be upheld.