Informed Consent and Shared Decision Making in Women at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Informed consent is an important aspect of ensuring good medical care and patient autonomy. In a developing country, the experience of women is often overlooked when deciding methods for obtaining consent. This study assesses the practice of taking informed consent in a hospital setting and factors that affect decision-making for treatment methods among gynecology patients Pakistan. Materials and Methods: Women coming to the Hamdard University Hospital gynecology outpatient department or surgery were asked to participate in the study. The questionnarie asked about informed consent, cultural factors, and interaction between the doctor and the patient. The study was conducted for a duration of 5 months. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results. Results: 300 women participated in the study. While all women said that doctors asked for consent before examination, 30.7% said they were not aware they could say no to being examined, 23% said the doctors did not explain the benefits or side effects of the medicines prescribed, and 22.7% were not told about alternative treatments. 91.7% said their husbands signed consent forms for them. Conclusion: This study highlights the need to improve the practice of taking informed consent in the country, as it involves educating the patient about the intervention before obtaining consent. It is important that doctors keep in mind the cultural factors that influence decisions when obtaining consent and informing patients about their treatments and management.