The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Physicians in Turkey Towards Informed Consent

Abstract

Background: The study aimed to figure out whether, how, and why the COVID-19 pandemic has changed physicians’ attitudes toward informed consent in Turkey. Materials and Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to physicians through the snowball sampling method and 528 physicians treating COVID-19 patients turned in the questionnaire. Findings: Most of the physicians (n= 317) indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced their attitudes on informed consent, while 39.96% of them (n= 211) stated that the pandemic did not change their behaviors on informing patients and/or families. An overwhelming majority of the physicians (n= 259) emphasized the impact of the higher mortality rate of the disease, the lack of standard treatment for the disease, and the higher demand from patients and families for information on providing patients and/or families with more information. On the other hand, 18.30% (n= 58) of the physicians admitted that the pandemic has caused them to disclose less information because of the lack of time to provide information, the need for urgent treatment, and the lack of information regarding the risks, benefits, and outcomes of applied treatments. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic affected the majority of the physicians attitudes and behaviors toward informed consent.