Influence of a Preadmission Procedure-Specific Consent Document on Patient Recall of Informed Consent at 4 Weeks After Total Hip Replacement: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: Consent is a legal and ethical requirement for undertaking surgical procedures; however, the literature suggests that there continues to be poor recall among patients of the surgical risks discussed during the consent process. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the addition of a preadmission procedure-specific consent document would improve patient recall of surgical risks at 4 weeks after total hip replacement in patients consented with a procedure-specific consent form.

Methods: A prospective randomized controlled trial allocated seventy adult patients who were undergoing a primary total hip replacement to either receive (intervention group) or not receive (control group) a preadmission procedure-specific consent document.