Abstract:
Patients have the legal and moral right to determine what happens to them, and
the healthcare practitioners have the ethical obligation to engage patients in
their health care. The informed consent is an essential approach in which the
patient engages actively in decisions regarding their health management. This
study explores the practice of seeking permission from patients before surgery.
A questionnaire was provided to in-patients at Korle Bu Teaching
Hospital. The data was then examined using the Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS), version 26.0. The research demonstrates that there is still
much to be addressed in patient education on the procedure of gaining
informed consent before surgery. Around 32% of the patients felt that they
were not fully taught about their procedure before they signed the consent
form. This shows that a considerable percentage of in-patients lack appropriate
awareness of the consent procedure. The survey also found that physicians are
the only medical practitioners that seek patients' consent in the hospital, with
60% of patients indicating that doctors got their consent. Additionally, it was
shown that there is a method for gaining informed consent, yet it has not been
implemented as intended. As a consequence, extra time is required to address
patients' worries and doubts before surgery. This underscores the need for
enhanced communication between medical practitioners and patients, as well
as for patients to be given ample time to comprehend the process, risks, and
benefits before agreeing to surgery. Ultimately, the research concluded that
there is still significant space for enhancement to the procedure of getting
informed consent at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
