INFORMED CONSENT - ARE WE DOING ENOUGH

We report our findings in a prospective, randomised study of patient r ecall of verbal versus written preoperative warnings. There were 132 p atients in the verbal group and 137 in the written group, with a simil ar age and sex distribution in both groups. Four of the seven preopera tive warnings were remembered significantly better by the group receiv ing the written warnings (P < 0.001-0.05). However, the mean number of warnings recalled was fewer than 3 in the verbal group, and fewer tha n 4 (P = 0.0057) in the written group (Mann-Whitney U-test). Patients given verbal warnings were less able to recall them than those receivi ng written warnings. The inference is that they entered into surgery l ess well informed.