SP8.1 Patient perception of the informed consent process: A single centre cohort study comparing paper and digital consent

Abstract

Abstract Aims NHS Digital set eConsent as a priority for 2021-2022 and digital consent is now being adopted by many hospitals. This study aims to compare how patients perceive the consenting process on both paper and digital platforms. Methods A prospective service evaluation was conducted in a university hospital (May 2022-December 2022), across 9 specialities, to compare paper with digital consent. as a part of an SBRI-granted project (SBRIH19P3055) to identify the economic benefits of digital consent. The digital consent solution was provided by Concentric Health. Time-motion study assessing the consultation time required to consent a patient was conducted in clinics. Patient feedback was obtained through structured questionnaires, including the CollaboRATE score (validated to measure shared decision-making, SDM). Results Patient feedback was compared for 151 responders from each group. 92 (60.9%) responders in the digital group scored the CollaboRATE Topscore (representative of gold standard SDM) in comparison to 71 (47%) responders in the paper consent group. 113 patients had experienced both paper and digital consent, of which 73 (64.6%) patients prefer digital consent and 40 (35.3%) prefer paper consent. Sub-analysis of consultation time (including both consent and clinic time) revealed no significant difference P=0.102 between the use of paper (n=21) and digital (n=26) consent. Conclusion Digital consent is favoured by patients perhaps because it enables more meaningful and detailed discussion of information before surgery. Patient satisfaction regarding their involvement in SDM is higher with digital consent than with paper consent. Further studies are needed to evaluate the value of digital consent.