Wouter Leclercq

Chapter 2 30 tests on IC and medical law. 25,37,43 In contrast, they are more capable in informing the patient of benefits of the surgical procedure than they are giving information about risks or alternatives. 37 Interestingly, 21% of patients in one study reported that they received most information from sources outside the hospital. 44 The way information is presented greatly influences what a patient remembers. Oral information is retained very poorly, and patients tend to forget crucial parts of information such as alternative treatment options. 41,45 This will lead to false-negative feelings, particularly in patients with a IQ below average, age over 60, a tendency to somatization, or a poor perceived control. 44 On the other hand, betterinformed patients will have more realistic expectations, higher satisfaction, and demonstrate more treatment cooperation. 46 A recent study reveals that a great difference exists between the points of view of surgeons and patients regarding relevance of information and what should be told or not told. 36 Another study demonstrates that patients are not interested in the IC form that is used, and two thirds of the patients do not read it carefully. 44 Studies on the patient’s comprehension of information are rare. Analyses of tapes of IC indicate that various elements of the surgical procedure are discussed in 71% of the cases. The assessment of whether the patients actually understand this information is performed in only 1.5% of the cases! 41,47 Consent elements Studies focusing on the consent element indicate that consent forms are not composed very well. 48,49 Readability is poor, and only a minority are written on a 12-year-old reading level, which is best practice. 48-50 More than half of all IC forms are filled out incorrectly. 19,51 One retrospective study shows that the consent forms cannot be retrieved in 7.7% of the cases. 19