Informed consent learning: Needs and preferences in medical clerkship environments.

Tahra Almahmoud,M Jawad Hashim,Rabah Almahmoud,Margaret Elzubeir,Frank Branicki

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0202466

Tahra Almahmoud, M Jawad Hashim + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202466

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Oct 3, 2018
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: United Arab Emirates University, University of Sharjah

Abstract

PurposeLimited information exists regarding students’ routine educational needs in support of ethics and professionalism practices faced in real clinical practice. As such the authors aimed to explore medical students learning needs and preferences for informed consent and relevant ethical issues in the clerkship environments.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study using a self-administered, printed survey distributed to final year clinical clerks.Results84% completed the survey. Students indicated the need for more attention to all topics related to informed consent (mean = 7.1 on a scale of 0 to 9; ±1.2). Most additional instructional attention was requested for topics raised in discussions with patients concerning the risks, benefits and alternatives to recommended treatments (7.3 ±1.4). The cohort expressed the need for education in the care of vulnerable patients (7.2 ±1.2) with a maximum score for the care of abused children. Women perceived greater need for education concerning informed consent than male respondents (p>0.05). There were significant differences between students who scored high or low on the item “being treated in professional manner” and “endorsement of educational needs for care of adolescents” (p = 0.05).ConclusionThere was heightened perception among final year medical students of the need for greater attention to be paid to informed consent education.

Highlights

There was heightened perception among final year medical students of the need for greater attention to be paid to informed consent education
Ethical and professionalism queries about the examination and treatment of patients have received ample of interest in recent years [1,2], it is essential that medical trainees become sensitive to ethical issues relevant to patient care and exhibit a scope for proper reasoning
The survey offers an insight into how medical students in clinical training perceive informed consent learning and teaching

Summary

Introduction

Ethical and professionalism queries about the examination and treatment of patients have received ample of interest in recent years [1,2], it is essential that medical trainees become sensitive to ethical issues relevant to patient care and exhibit a scope for proper reasoning. The need for informed consent has been practiced in invasive clinical procedures as well as research involving human contribution, but physicians are more expected to obtain informed consent for other forms of treatment or interventions. It is crucial that formal learning takes place relating to various elements of informed consent with their medico-legal dimensions, and how to obtain informed consent from patients whose decisional capacity is compromised or presents challenges due to language or limited educational barriers. The curricula of medical schools often provide little formal training such that learning opportunities, with regard to ethical issues including informed consent, are likely to occur through an informal or hidden curriculum. Hafferty and Franks suggested providing students with appropriate circumstances to learn the relevance of medical ethics in their social contexts [4]

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Conclusion