Patient experience and decisional satisfaction with the informed consent process for elective gynecologic surgeries: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The informed consent process is a vital component of daily medical practice. It involves providing patients with sufficient, accurate, and understandable information to decide on a contemplated therapy. The study aims to evaluate the patient experience and satisfaction with the preoperative informed consent process. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed on adult women admitted for elective gynecologic surgery in a tertiary training hospital. Participants were recruited on their second postoperative day and were asked to answer a structured questionnaire assessing decisional satisfaction and experience with the informed consent process. Satisfaction was measured using a 6-item Satisfaction with Decision Scale. Knowledge of the surgery and experience with the informed consent were measured using an Informed Consent Questionnaire. Bivariate associations between highly satisfied and not highly satisfied groups were tested using Fisher exact test. RESULTS: A total of 150 patients were enrolled in the study with a mean age of 44.5 years. The resident-in-charge provided the information and assisted in the documentation of the informed consent in 86.7% and 67.3% of patients, respectively. There was an overall high decisional satisfaction with a mean score of 27.4 and 52.7% of patients strongly agreeing to all statements of the Satisfaction with Decision Scale. The majority of the respondents were informed and acknowledged comprehension of the surgery including its risks, benefits, and alternative treatment options. Knowing the success rate and benefits of the procedure as well as being informed of the need for postoperative catheterization were significantly associated with high satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Knowledge and understanding of the key components of informed consent influence patient satisfaction. The current study highlights the high decisional satisfaction rates of patients who underwent elective gynecologic surgery. Strategies to further improve this patient-physician encounter include the establishment of standard policies on personnel involved, timing, and quality of information given to patients. Patient satisfaction should serve as an indicator of the quality of healthcare rendered and guide for continuous improvement of services.