TAKE-HOME INFORMED CONSENT FOR INTRAVENOUS CONTRAST-MEDIA

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. In 1978, Morrow et al(13) published the resu lts of a simple technique for raising radiation oncology patients' lev els of awareness about medical options. They reported that providing w ritten information at least 24 hours in advance was an effective tool for increasing the baseline knowledge in this patient group. However, Morrow's cohort consisted exclusively of cancer patients receiving rad iation therapy. The authors of this article are concerned with whether the encouraging results reported by Morrow are reproducible when appl ied to patients awaiting invasive radiologic procedures. METHODS. One hundred sixty consecutive outpatients awaiting contrast were block ran domized into one of eight groups based on age, sex, and previous contr ast exposure. For each group, half were given their consent form at le ast 24 hours prior, and the other half at the time of their procedure. All patients were tested at the time of their procedure to evaluate k nowledge retention. RESULTS. Comparison between the two study groups s howed no overall statistically significant differences either in knowl edge (experimental group 4.7 +/- 1.32 versus 4.38 +/- 1.30 control gro up) or level of satisfaction. Additionally, individuals experienced wi th contrast failed to outperform those who had never previously been g iven contrast. There is no significant difference in the performance b etween the two sexes regardless of group. CONCLUSIONS. The providing o f information 24 to 72 hours in advance of an invasive procedure does not have a beneficial effect over just providing the same information at the time of the study.