ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

A New Look at Informed Consent: Recent guidelines prompt patient-centered approach

by Emily Paulsen • August 9, 2010

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

Cedars-Sinai, for example, recently introduced the Emmi system, which gives physicians an access code to their patients, who can then read online materials or view videos about their condition, procedure and other treatment options. At first, Dr. Hopp’s colleagues reviewed the content and decided against using it, because although they liked the concept, they did not like the ENT portions. Hospital and Emmi staff, however, returned to them a year later and gave them the opportunity to re-write the materials. Dr. Hopp will start using the resultant materials in the coming months.

You Might Also Like

  • How Informed Are Your Patients?
  • The Evolution of Informed Consent
  • How Informed Are Your Patients?
  • ‘Patient-Centered Approach’ Delivers High-Quality Care to Patients with Head and Neck Cancers
Explore This Issue
August 2010

Providing extra detail can make some physicians uncomfortable. They may worry that they’ll leave something off the list or that a long list of specific risks will scare the patient away from needed treatment. But, Dr. Hopp pointed out, “More detail is better. It’s how you handle it that makes the difference. [More information] makes the patient a participant in their health care. The more they understand about the healing process, the better a patient they are.”

According to a study in the March 2010 issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, additional detail may increase recall of the risks of surgery. In the study, conducted at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., parents of children scheduled for tonsillectomy or ear tube placement were split into two groups: Parents in one group went through the standard informed consent process and received an informational sheet about the general risks of surgery, while the other group received information that described the risks associated with the specific procedure. In addition, the physicians in the second group were given a checklist of risks to ensure that they covered each one in their discussions with the parents. The group of parents that received the more specific information remembered an average of six out of 10 risks, while the control group remembered an average of 4.44 risks.

But it’s not just the content of the information that affects how the patient receives it—it’s also how that content is presented.

Most patient education materials are written at a high school reading level, and informed consent forms are so vague and full of legalese that they can be difficult for even a college-educated patient to understand. Re-writing those materials so that the average patient, with a fifth or sixth grade reading level, can understand them is a very good step. Dr. Yaremchuk noted that Microsoft Word offers an option to “show readability statistics” in its grammar check, and this is a good way to get an idea of the reading level of in-house documents.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Departments, Everyday Ethics, Health Policy, Practice Management Tagged With: consent, documentation, guidelines, healthcare reform, informed consent, Medicare, patient communication, patient safety, policyIssue: August 2010

You Might Also Like:

  • How Informed Are Your Patients?
  • The Evolution of Informed Consent
  • How Informed Are Your Patients?
  • ‘Patient-Centered Approach’ Delivers High-Quality Care to Patients with Head and Neck Cancers

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Otolaryngologists Have a Major Role to Play in Treating COVID-19 Long-Haulers
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Podcasts Becoming More Popular Method of Education for Otolaryngologists
    • How to Embrace Optimism in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Tips on How to Approach Conversations with Patients about the COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Voice and Hearing During Telemedicine Sessions
    • Routine Postoperative Adjunct Treatments Unnecessary for Idiopathic Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Polls

Have you spoken with your patients about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.