Informed consent, Israel 2008--is it informed? The case of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer.
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BACKGROUND: The rate of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer procedures in Israelis the highest among industrialized countries. The procedure has the potential to make treated patients forever happy, should the desired result occur. It also entails, however, numerous potential complications. Patients who are candidates for the procedure should fully understand both potential desired and undesired results, and should give their consent based on this understanding. The question whether currently used informed consent forms for these procedures indeed serve this purpose is, however, open. OBJECTIVES: To explore the usefulness of informed consent forms for IVF&ET that are currently used in Israel to represent the potential benefits and risks of the procedures to the patients. METHODS: Informed consent forms for IVF&ET were scrutinized for accuracy, clarity and relevance, by comparison to relevant medical literature. IVF&ET informed consent forms were also assessed whether they fulfill the requirements of the Israeli Law of Patient's Rights. RESULTS: Currently used "informed" consent forms for IVF&ET were found to be fundamentally inaccurate and outdated In some cases (number of embryos to be transferred), the information is grossly obscure. In other cases (alternative management) there are glaring omissions. CONCLUSIONS: Informed consent forms for IVF&ET that are currently used in Israel do not adequately serve their stated purpose. Potential risks and benefits are not presented clearly and alternative management strategies are also missing. Thus, they do not fulfill their social, ethical or legal goals. Updating these forms is urgently needed. New versions should clearly distinguish between common (controllable) and uncommon (uncontrollable) complications. (+info)
Dental school patients' understanding of informed consent.
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The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study is to describe and analyze adult patients' understanding of informed consent, using the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine's consent form. Randomly sampled, anonymous patients at the school's clinic were asked to read the form and highlight any statements they found to be confusing, while also rating the form as "easy," "needing minor changes," or "needing major changes." This survey tested the hypothesis that the reading level of the form exceeds that of the average patient and thus, as education level increased, so would comprehensibility while the number of confusing statements would decrease. The results were analyzed for trends in gender and education level, and the statements proving most problematic to the largest number of patients were identified and analyzed. Contrary to the hypothesis, the most highly educated patients highlighted more statements, inspiring a new hypothesis that this occurred because of highly educated patients' ability to distinguish between the literal meaning of the words and their implications. Revisions were made to the identified aspects of the form, and new surveys were completed, with the result that the modifications were successful and the new hypothesis was supported. (+info)
Using an automated recruitment process to generate an unbiased study sample of multiple sclerosis patients.
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Photographic documentation, a practical guide for non professional forensic photography.
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Forensic photography is essential for documentation of evidence of torture. Consent of the alleged victim should be sought in all cases. The article gives information about when and how to take pictures of what as well as image authentication, audit trail, storage, faulty pictures and the kind of camera to use. (+info)