INFORMED CONSENT IN HEAD AND NECK-SURGERY - HOW MUCH DO PATIENTS ACTUALLY REMEMBER

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of i nformed consent in head and neck Surgery by testing patient recall of potential complications from thyroidectomy, parathyroidectomy, and par otidectomy. Design: A prospective design was used. Setting: The settin g was an academic tertiary care centre. Methods: Fifty-four patients u ndergoing thyroidectomy, parathyroidectomy, or parotidectomy were cons ented by verbal contact by the operating surgeon with a specific preop erative checklist of complication and side effects. One week to 2 mont hs after consent, the patients were surveyed for recall of potential c omplications. Main Outcome Measures: Rate of recall was related to var ious including patient age, sex, level of education, occupation, and l ength of time from the consent interview to the recall interview. Resu lts: The overall recall rate for all procedures was 48%. Those patient s who recalled over 50% of the complications were younger (p = .04) an d better educated (p = .04). The gender of the patients did not appear to influence recall success (p = 1.00), even when facial scar or para lysis was considered. Conclusion: A significant relationship exists be tween education level and patient age and the rate of patient recall o f potential complications of surgery.