Patient's comprehension of the medical informations presented before the invasive procedures

The requirement of an informed consent has become a major issue even in the rural area of Japan. Particular interests were focussed on understanding of the information and the effect of pre-existing anxiety on that understanding. Nineteen neurological patients who were going to have either surgeries or invasive diagnostic procedures, agreed to cooperate with the study. Results of the study revealed the followings; (1) comprehension of medical disclosure varied widely from one patient to another, (2) assistance from co-medical staff (a registered nurse in the study) could not facilitate greater comprehension, and (3) the more anxious patients comprehended more. It seemed to remain a question as to how much adults of sound mind actually comprehended it even when the medical disclosure was presented fully and in a simple style.