Peñuelas y AJ, Oriol-López SA, Popoca-Mondragón X, Aguilar-Juárez I

Language: Spanish
References: 14
Page: 101-107
PDF size: 60.25 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Informed consent has been seen as an ethic disclaimer of those actions that affect others, including medical treatments, clinical research and the use of human tissues. It has been defined as a legal-ethical concept that reflects the respect of Society towards the autonomy of the individuals that are part of it. To exercise his autonomy, it is necessary for an individual to have a previous knowledge of the topic. How much information does a patient need to autonomously accept anesthesia and surgery? The answer is the main purpose of this study. A survey was conducted on 450 patients with a scheduled surgery. The gathered data included: age, gender, and previous anesthetics and surgery experiences, as well as the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale in order to detect information needs. The outcome showed a high desire for being informed, however this level of desire was not always high for anesthesia. The level of anxiety and information requirement related to surgery was higher. All these factors make it more difficult to establish an informed consent, moreover in the health institutions where the time of attention to the patient is minimal. Additionally, some other questions arise related to the degree of autonomy that a patient can exercise when his physical needs overpass his will.

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