Rehearsal's effect on recall and comprehension of orthodontic informed consent

Proper informed consent allows patients to take an active role in their own treatment decisions, and enhanced compliance might improve treatment outcomes. The objective of this research was to determine if handwritten rehearsal of core and custom consent items would increase short-term recall and comprehension.

A total of 90 patient-parent pairs were randomly assigned to 2 groups. After case presentation, each subject was provided 10 minutes to read a modified informed consent document. Group A received visual printouts containing the 4 core elements (root resorption, decalcification, pain, and relapse/retention) likely to be encountered by all patients and up to 4 custom elements (eg, impacted teeth, orthognathic surgery, or other case-specific treatment issues). Subjects identified and wrote what the image depicted and how it could affect treatment. Group B viewed a slideshow presentation on all 18 consent elements arranged from general to specific. All participants were interviewed, and each provided their sociodemographic data, as well as completed literacy, health literacy, and state anxiety questionnaires. The groups were compared for recall and comprehension through an analysis of covariance.

The rehearsal intervention significantly improved recall and comprehension of the core elements (P = 0.001). Rehearsal also improved custom recall and comprehension, but not significantly. Group B performed significantly better on treatment questions (P = 0.001). Overall, as anxiety increased, correct responses decreased.

The rehearsal group improved recall and comprehension of the core and custom elements of informed consent and proved a more efficient method than an audiovisual presentation to provide informed consent. It also improved meeting legal obligations.