Abstract
Background: One undisputed benefit of digital support is the possibility of contact reduction, which has become particularly important in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is currently no study assessing the Europe-wide use of digital online pre-operative patient information or evaluation in the health sector. The aim of this study was to give an overview of the current status in Europe. Methods: A web-based questionnaire covering the informed consent process was sent to members of the European Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine (ESAIC) in 47 European countries (42,433 recipients/930 responses). Six questions related specifically to the practice in paediatrics. Results: A total of 70.2% of the respondents indicated that it was not possible to obtain informed consent via the Internet in a routine setting, and 67.3% expressed that they did not know whether it is in line with the legal regulations. In paediatric anaesthesia, the informed consent of only one parent was reported to be sufficient by 77.6% of the respondents for simple interventions and by 63.8% for complex interventions. Just over 50% of the respondents judged that proof of identity of the parents was necessary, but only 29.9% stated that they ask for it in clinical routine. In the current situation, 77.9% would favour informed consent in person, whereas 60.2% could imagine using online or telephone interviews as an alternative to a face-to-face meeting if regulations were changed. Only 18.7% participants reported a change in the regulations due to the current pandemic situation. Conclusion: Whether informed consent is obtained either online or on the telephone in the paediatric population varies widely across Europe and is not currently implemented as standard practice. For high-risk patients, such as the specific cohort of children with congenital heart defects, wider use of telemedicine might provide a benefit in the future in terms of reduced contact and reduced exposure to health risks through additional hospital stays.
Highlights
We aimed to investigate how anaesthetists judge the legal situation with regard to purely telemedical patient informed consent, the necessity of informing both parents in paediatric anaesthesia, and the necessity of parental/caretaker identity verification
The survey focused on the use of digital support in the context of anaesthesia in general with a total of 27 questions, with a special focus on the peculiarities of patient information in paediatric anaesthesia
The study population was defined as practicing ESAIC members
Summary
For seriously ill children, the risk of contracting nosocomial infections during a hospital stay is high. Children after cardiac surgery showed an overall nosocomial infection rate of 10.8% [1]. Even beyond the current pandemic situation, avoiding hospitalisation reduces the burden on seriously or chronically ill children. One undisputed benefit of digital support is the possibility of contact reduction, which has become important in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no study assessing the Europe-wide use of digital online pre-operative patient information or evaluation in the health sector. The aim of this study was to give an overview of the current status in Europe. Results: A total of 70.2% of the respondents indicated that it was not possible to obtain informed consent via the Internet in a routine setting, and
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