title: Anesthesiology trainees face ethical, practical, and relational challenges in obtaining informed consent.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Categorizing difficulties anesthesiologists have in obtaining informed consent may influence education, performance, and research. This study investigated the trainees' perspectives and educational needs through a qualitative analysis of narratives.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills-Anesthesia used professional actors to teach communication skills and relational abilities associated with informed consent. Before attending the program, participants wrote about a challenging informed consent experience. Narratives were analyzed by two researchers following the principles of grounded theory. The researchers independently read the narratives and marked key words and phrases to identify reoccurring challenges described by anesthesiologists. Through rereading of the narratives and discussion, the two researchers reached consensus on the challenges that arose and calculated their frequency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of the 39 narratives led to the identification of three types of challenges facing anesthesiologists in obtaining informed consent. Ethical challenges included patient wishes not honored, conflict between patient and family wishes and medical judgment, patient decision-making capacity, and upholding professional standards. Practical challenges included the amount of information to provide, communication barriers, and time limitations. Relational challenges included questions about trainee competence, mistrust associated with previous negative experiences, and misunderstandings between physician and patient or family.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ethical, practical, and relational challenges in obtaining informed consent colored trainees' views of patient care and affected their interactions with patients. Using participant narratives personalizes education and motivates participants. The richness of narratives may help anesthesiologists to appreciate the qualitative aspects of informed consent.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, and Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. david.waisel@childrens.harvard.edu
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Waisel
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lamiani
authors.forename: Norma J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Sandrock
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pascucci
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Truog
authors.forename: Elaine C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Meyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000193:education* / Q000941:ethics* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics* / Q000523:psychology; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000941:ethics* / Q000379:methods; D007600:Judgment / Q000941:ethics; D008297:Male; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*