Surgical Residents' Perspective on Informed Consent-How Does It Compare With Attending Surgeons?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Patient Communication

Background:

• Informed consent discussion (ICD) is crucial in clinical practice.
• Surgical residents often obtain informed consent without formal training.
• Current curricula lack standardized instruction for ICD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess surgeon and resident attitudes towards ICD.
• To identify gaps in ICD training for surgical residents.
• To explore perceptions of resident-led informed consent.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to residents and attending surgeons.
• The study was conducted at an academic medical center.
• Participants were from an accredited general surgery residency program.

Main Results:

• Resident comfort with ICD increases with postgraduate year (PGY).
• Attending surgeons showed less comfort with resident-led ICDs, especially for elective cases.
• Most participants agreed on the need for formal evaluation and instruction in ICD skills.

Conclusions:

• Resident confidence in performing ICDs improves with training.
• Attending surgeons' comfort levels with resident-led ICDs vary.
• Enhanced surgical residency curricula should incorporate direct observation and formal evaluation of ICD skills.