Current Practices, Limitations, and Recommendations for Informed Consent Education in Medical Students and...

The ability to provide informed consent (IC) is a critical component of patient autonomy. Medical training programs have recognized the importance of training physicians to become skilled in obtaining IC, but few have reported curricula that address IC separately from broader ethical principles. This review aims to consolidate current methodologies and outcomes regarding medical education on informed consent.

Adhering to PRISMA-ScR guidelines, studies were obtained from PubMed and MedEdPORTAL that focused on evaluating the need for informed consent education and on assessing strategies to teach informed consent. Educational programs or assessments that focused broadly on medical ethics without a specific focus on the teaching of informed consent were excluded.

Of 142 abstracted articles, 59 were included for analysis. 34 were categorized as needs-assessments, while 25 were interventions. Across various medical and surgical specialties and training levels, there is a need for more robust education on informed consent. No standard process for training medical learners about this topic exists currently. Of the interventions examined, both didactic curricula and simulation-based modalities demonstrated efficacy in improving knowledge and comfort levels with IC.

This review summarized both studies on needs assessments of IC education in medical training and on interventions to improve trainees' skills in obtaining IC. Though obtaining IC is a critical clinical skill for nearly all clinicians, there is no consensus method to teach IC, satisfaction with current IC education is low, and debate exists on whether IC can ever be entrusted to trainees. These important gaps in IC education suggest a need to develop a structured, systematic approach to providing IC education in order to assure competency in this essential skill for patient safety and trainee wellness.