Do Hospitalized Patients in a Nigerian Community Consider Informed Consent Necessary?

Abstract

Background: African patients often prefer to relinquish their consent powers to their physicians. Physicians may not seek informed consent before medical procedures. This study was conducted to determine whether patients considered their informed consent necessary before medical procedures. Methods: Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, hospitalized adult patients in a Nigerian community were interviewed about their opinions on the necessity of their informed consent. Results: Overall, 92.5% (185/200) believed that their informed consent was necessary prior to a medical procedure. The percentage of participants holding this view ranged from 90 to 100% across most of the demographic and clinical categories. However, most of the participants reported not being adequately informed prior to at least one clinical procedure in the course of their current hospitalization. Conclusions: Most patients want physicians to seek their informed consent prior to clinical procedures. This position does not conflict with the possibility of patients’ eventual choice to authorize their physicians to determine what they consider best for their care. Physicians need retraining and reorientation to ensure that they obtain patients’ informed consent prior to performing medical procedures.