title: Pediatric otoplasty and informed consent: do information handouts improve parental risk recall?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The elective nature of pediatric otoplasty requires that parents are well educated regarding the risks involved. Simple educational tools have been found to enhance risk recall in some surgical procedures.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effectiveness of information handouts in improving parental risk recall.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty caregivers were randomly assigned to receive traditional oral dialog of the surgical risks, or to receive oral discussion and a written handout outlining the risks of otoplasty. Twelve to 14 days after the consultation, parents were contacted for assessment of risk recall.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall risk recall was 48% (3.4 of 7 risks recalled). Bleeding (82%) was the most commonly recalled risk, while cartilage necrosis/deformation (14%) was the least recalled risk. Mean risk recall was higher in the group that received written information (3.9 of 7 risks) compared to the group that received only oral discussion (2.8 of 7 risks) (p=0.003). No child or parental variables were significantly related to higher risk recall on multivariable analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caregiver risk recall in pediatric otoplasty was improved with the addition of written information provided during the informed consent process. As the consent process serves a vital role in pediatric otolaryngology, the use of supplementary educational materials should be further studied.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papsin
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haworth
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Jill M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Chorney
authors.affiliation: IWK Health Centre, Dalhousie Pediatric Craniofacial Group, Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bezuhly
authors.affiliation: IWK Health Centre, Dalhousie Pediatric Craniofacial Group, Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; School of Human Communication Disorders, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Electronic address: Paul.Hong@iwk.nshealth.ca.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004431:Ear, External / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D011939:Mental Recall; D010174:Pamphlets; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016037:Single-Blind Method
keywords: Complications; Information handouts; Informed consent; Otoplasty; Risks