[Quality of information in informed consents for hernioplasty: readability, comprehension, and patient perception].

BACKGROUND

Informed consent (IC) is the process by which patients receive information from healthcare professionals in order to understand the essential aspects of a proposed intervention and to make an autonomous decision about whether to accept or refuse it. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to written informed consent forms, partly because they appear to provide a more objective record of the communication process within the clinical relationship.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the readability of informed consent documents used for hernioplasty and to evaluate whether patients read these documents and their level of understanding of the information provided.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

We assessed the readability of informed consent documents using the Flesch-Szigriszt and Fernández-Huerta indices. In addition, patients were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire including items related to whether they had read the document, their understanding of the surgical technique, associated risks and complications, the information received, and their general knowledge of informed consent.

RESULTS

IC1 obtained a Flesch-Szigriszt Index score of 42.38 and a Fernández-Huerta Index score of 47.72. IC2 obtained a Flesch-Szigriszt Index score of 53.83 and a Fernández-Huerta Index score of 58.80. According to the INFLESZ scale, both documents were classified as "somewhat difficult." More than 80% of patients reported having received an explanation of risks and complications. Although 70% stated that they understood the information, only 60% reported having read the informed consent document. Most patients agreed that the documents were difficult to read and considered that their primary function was legal protection for the physician.

CONCLUSIONS

Informed consent documents for hernioplasty show suboptimal readability levels. Although more than half of the patients reported reading and understanding the documents, many perceived an excess of information and considered the forms difficult to understand.