The Practice Of Obtaining Patients’ Consent Before Surgery: A Study Of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital

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.