Enhancing the 'Informed' in Informed Consent: A Pilot Test of a Multimedia Presentation
Authors:
- Melissa B. Wanzer (Canisius College)
- Ann M. Wojtaszczyk (Canisius College)
- Lisa Missert (Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo)
- Jessica Schimert (Canisius College)
- Susan S. Baker (Digestive Diseases & Nutrition Center Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo)
- Robert Baker (Digestive Diseases & Nutrition Center Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo)
- Ben Dunkle (Canisius College)
The use of a multimedia presentation to supplement the informed consent process for endoscopy procedures was tested at a Children's Hospital. Fifty-two consecutive children who presented for an endoscopy were randomized to one of two conditions. In group one, informed consent for the procedure was obtained by the physician in the usual manner. In the second group, parents/guardians viewed a multimedia presentation on endoscopic procedures in addition to the typical consent process. Both groups completed measures of state anxiety, comprehension, and satisfaction. As predicted, there was a significant positive correlation between all participants' self-reported comprehension and satisfaction and a negative correlation between comprehension and anxiety. The group that viewed the multimedia presentation scored significantly higher on an objective test and was rated significantly higher in comprehension by physicians than the comparison group. There were no significant differences between the groups in self-reports of anxiety, satisfaction with medical care and number of questions asked.