Informed consent for anesthesia: a review of practice and strategies for optimizing the consent process

摘要

Patients must receive information in a manner that promotes understanding so they can make informed decisions about anesthesia and other medical interventions. Unfortunately, history is replete with examples of the negative consequences of inadequate disclosure of information and lack of patient understanding. While obtaining consent for anesthesia poses unique challenges, the ability of the anesthesiologist to engage the patient in meaningful discussion is critical as a means to ensure that the patient is truly informed. This narrative review aims to: 1) discuss the process of informed consent as it applies to anesthesia practice; 2) describe the salient issues related to patient capacity, disclosure, understanding, decision-making, and documentation of the informed consent process; and 3) discuss current strategies to improve the presentation and understanding of consent information.