title: Informed consent for surgery: do our current practices conform to the accepted standards?
abstract: A qualitative investigation was undertaken to determine and analyse the pattern of existing practices regarding informed consent for surgery at PIMS, Islamabad. Adult postoperative patients who had undergone surgical interventions were randomly selected face-to-face with the help of a team of junior doctors. A questionnaire was employed for data collection and the responses of the patients to the questions regarding various attributes of the consent process were analysed. Overall inadequacy existed in the prevailing practices. There is a need to revisit the consent related practices and make the process more informed and adequate. Instead of taking it as a casual formality, our doctors should regard it as an equally important exercise equivalent to other components of care such as the surgery itself.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad.
authors.forename: Bushra
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ashraf
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad.
authors.forename: Nasira
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tasnim
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery and Burns, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saaiq
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad.
authors.lastname: Khaleeq-Uz-Zaman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000592:standards*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires