Beyond Bleeding, Infection, Damage to Surrounding Structures: Challenges and Opportunities When Communicating about...

Area of Science:

• Medical ethics
• Patient communication
• Surgical decision-making

Background:

• Informed consent and shared decision-making are vital in surgical consultations.
• Effective risk communication is challenging due to health literacy, cognitive biases, and patient emotions.
• Clear communication supports patients throughout the perioperative period, especially with rare complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a framework for discussing surgical risks and downsides.
• To enhance patient understanding of rare complications in the context of recovery.
• To support patients in the decision-making process and beyond.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual framework development.
• Analysis of communication challenges in surgical risk disclosure.
• Integration of recovery trajectory into risk discussion.

Main Results:

• A proposed framework contextualizes rare surgical risks within expected recovery.
• The framework aims to improve patient comprehension and decision-making.
• Enhanced communication can support patients facing rare complications.

Conclusions:

• Effective risk communication is essential for informed surgical decisions.
• A contextualized approach to discussing rare risks can empower patients.
• The proposed framework offers a novel method for improving patient-provider communication in surgery.