Impact of Counselling and Consent on Patient’s Satisfaction at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Sindh

Abstract

Background: Detail counseling of the patient helps them to understand the importance of treatment and improves their compliance. It also improves the relationship between the doctor and the patient. Objective: Current study aims to determine the patient satisfaction level going for major gynecological surgery by detailed counseling and consent. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi. The duration of the study was one year (1st march 2018 to 28 February 2019). Informed consent was taken from participants fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The questionnaire was composed of demographic details of patients such as age, gender, marital status, education level, and socioeconomic status. The satisfaction rating scale was used to assess the impact of counseling on the patient. The scale contains different items regarding counseling and consent that assesses patient satisfaction, rated on a 1–5 scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). Higher scores indicate higher satisfaction. Results: In our study majority of the participants were from 41-50 (30%) years of age, and all were married and belonging to the middle class. The majority were from the secondary level which is 62%. Out of 156 participants, 87 agreed that counsellor listened to them, 96 understood the information, 91 were comfortable talking to the counsellor and 80 were more hopeful about their progress. Similarly, the majority of the participants agreed and were satisfied with the treatment after informed consent. Results found that 85% of participants showed a higher satisfaction level towards counseling and informed consent. Conclusion: Counseling is a useful supplementary technique for refining treatment adherence and disease condition. Taking consent is the asymmetrical method to create a relationship between healthcare providers and patients.