[Has the informed consent for people with schizophrenia prevailed among Japanese psychiatrists by changing the name? The outcome of 3-year study].
"Togo-shiccho-sho"--the integration ataxic disorder--which has been recommended as the alternative Japanese translation of schizophrenia rather than "Seishin-bunretsu-byo", had the approval of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology (JSPN) at the 98h annual meeting in August, 2002.


OBJECTIVE
This study aims to know the prevalence of the informed consent for people with schizophrenia and to find out the factors related to the informed consent among the Japanese psychiatrists.


METHODS
Subjects of this study were all psychiatric members of JSPN. They received the self-report questionnaire entitled "The Actual State of Informed Consent" by the return cards and sent it back by the return at around mid November every year between 2002 (right after the change) and 2004 (after 2 years). Author took 3 months for recovery.


RESULTS
Rates of the psychiatrists who informed the patient himself have been relatively increasing for 3 years (37%, 2002; 65%, 2003; 70%, 2004), while the rates of the one who didn't have been decreasing (44%, 2002; 21%, 2003; 15%, 2004). The users of Togo-shiccho-sho for the informed consent have been increasing (68%, 2002; 86%, 2003; 90%, 2004), while the non-users have been decreasing (19%, 2002; 9%, 2004). The non-users of Seishin-bunretsu-byo increased from 63% in 2003 to 71% in 2004 and the other-name-users also increased from 18% in 2003 to 42% in 2004.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of togo-shiccho-sho became about 90% among the Japanese psychiatrists and they seem to use it not accompanied with Seishin-bunretsu-byo or any other names. Moreover, 70% of psychiatrists informed their patients himself of their diagnosis, especially eagerly among younger generation. As well as the disease condition of patients and doctor-patient relationship, whether patient and his/her family could understand or not affected to the decision of informed consent. There were also differences among districts on informed consent, especially negative at Kinki district.
Nishimura
Yuki
Y
D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D011570:Psychiatry; D012559:Schizophrenia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014342:Truth Disclosure