title: Ethical issues in surgical intervention in medical college hospitals.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the ethical issues of the patients selected for surgical interventions. A total of 105 patients were selected consecutively on the basis of defined criteria at the Department of Surgery and the Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics of Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital, Dhaka from March 2007 to November 2007. Results showed that 76.19% of the patients were found to be literate and 23.81% were illiterate. In profession, 53.34% of the patients were found to be involved in household works, 16.19% were service holders, 12.38% were businessmen, 9.52% were cultivators, 5.71% were students and the rest were day laborers. Nearly 60.0% of the patients had no monthly income. Most of the patients were adults of age ranges from 16-70 years. Results about ethical issues showed that 52.38% of the patients had no knowledge about surgical treatment of their diseases prior to operation, 26.67% had poor knowledge and 20.95% had sufficient knowledge. Adequate counseling earlier to surgical intervention were ensured for 11.43% (n=12) patients only. Rest of the patients (88.57%) was not experienced counseling before operation. Nearly 81.0% of the patients did not understand about their treatment by surgical intervention. About 94.0% of the patients and their close relatives had no knowledge about informed consent and its importance as well as procedure of obtains but they sign it just before operation. Around 91.0% of the informed consents were not taken in presence of any witness. In postoperative counseling, 88.57% of the patients had not counseled. Nearly 66.0% of the patients did not satisfy about their treatment. In conclusion, truth-telling through counseling and informed consent were not found to be exercised properly in most of the patients undergoing surgical interventions in medical college hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mannan
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Bhuiya
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001459:Bangladesh; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection / Q000941:ethics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000941:ethics*; D055815:Young Adult