Informed consent for emergency surgery--how much do parents truly remember?

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Surgical Education
• Informed Consent

Background:

• Informed consent is crucial for pediatric surgical procedures.
• Understanding parental recall of surgical complications is vital for effective communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess parental retention of potential surgical complications after emergency laparoscopic appendectomy in children.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the informed consent process regarding surgical risks.

Main Methods:

• Prospective pilot study involving parents of children undergoing emergency laparoscopic appendectomy.
• Parents recalled 7 potential complications immediately after consent (IR) and before discharge (DR).
• Recall scores were analyzed, with prompted recall used to assess memory gaps.

Main Results:

• Low immediate recall scores (median 2/7), with 16% scoring 0.
• Significant gaps in memory persisted even after prompting (65% missed at least one complication).
• Delayed recall scores also remained low (median 2/7), with 23% scoring 0, and 81% missing at least one complication upon prompting.

Conclusions:

• Parental retention of information regarding surgical complications is poor.
• Effective documentation and reinforcement of the informed consent process are essential for pediatric surgery.