Effectiveness and Validity of Informed Consent in Patients Undergoing Surgery in Cameroon: A Prospective Survey

The process of informed consent before surgery has not been evaluated in Cameroon. We hypothesized that the process of informed consent for patients operated on in the Southwest Region of Cameroon is not appropriate.

We conducted a prospective, cross-sectional study in three health institutions in the Southwest region of Cameroon. A pretested questionnaire was administered to patients in the postoperative period to assess the basic components of the informed consent process. Patient's satisfaction and the overall validity of the process were measured.

We included 468 consenting patients in this study. Their mean age was 31.41 ± 8.6 y. The majority of patients (58.5%) underwent an elective procedure. The informed consent process was administered on the day of surgery, sometimes on the operative table for 53.4% of patients. Over half of the patients did not receive specific information on the surgical procedure. Though most of them (64.5%) received information about anesthesia, none were ever given the opportunity to choose the type of anesthesia. A total of 268 (57.3%) patients were informed about the potential risks of the surgical and anesthetic procedures. The majority (86.54%) were never informed that the surgery could possibly not yield the expected results. Over 70% of patients never read the consent form, and the overall process was considered fully valid in 1.1% of patients.

Though the process of informed consent is now widespread, it is still inadequate as some basic components are not fulfilled and patients' participation in the final decision is poor.