ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate perceptions of patients about the components of informed consent for surgery and their level of satisfaction
Study Design: observational study
Place and Duration: The study was carried out at Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences attached teaching hospital of AJK Medical College Muzaffarabad from February 2011 to April 2011
Subjects and Methods: A closed ended questionnaire exploring the perceptions of patients about knowledge of disease, surgical procedure, anaesthesia and consent with their level of satisfaction about the entire process was administered to the patients postoperatively
Ethical approval: Ethical approval was taken from the hospital ethical committee. Informed consent was taken from all the subjects and their identity was kept confidential
Results: There were 59 [60.8%] male and 38 [31.2%] females in the study. 91 [93.8%] patients were provided with the Information about their disease before surgery and only 37 [38.1%] patients were satisfied with the provided information. Information about advantages/ disadvantages of surgery was provided to 73 [75.3%] out of which 26 [26.8%] were satisfied. 79 [81.4%] patients were Satisfied with the pre operative information being provided by the surgeon. out of 18 patients who were unsatisfied 7 thought information was provided in a hurry
Conclusion: Informed consent is a very important aspect of patient's autonomy; it is also a safeguard for treating doctors. We feel that informed consent is the time when patient gets to know every aspect of his management and is fully involved in it. Ample time must be given to the patients and all their concerns redressed to improve their satisfaction with the process
ABSTRACT
A wide range of services is required for treating the thalassaemic children. However, in resource constrained settings of a developing country, it is important to understand the problems faced by thalassaemic children and their families prior to proposing any interventions or strategies for the prevention and control of thalassaemia-related morbidities and mortalities. A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out with fifty thalassaemic children [and their families]. These frequently transfused children had been registered with the AJK Central Blood Transfusion Service, district Muzaffarabad. Eighty percent of the thalassaemic children belonged to a poor socio-economic quintile. Only 4% of the parents never faced any difficulty in arranging blood for their children and they represent a well-off class. Forty four percent of the thalassaemic children were not using the chelation therapy because their parents could not afford it. Thirty six percent of the families of thalassaemic children never had heard about the thalassaemia screening test. Thalassaemic children need a standard treatment. However, it is a distant dream for the thalassaemic children of Muzaffarabad, AJK. There is no public or private sector facility specifically providing full range of services to treat thalassaemia. The poverty has compounded the sufferings and imperiled the health seeking behaviours of these children. There is an urgent need to appraise the financing and functioning of the health services so as to provide free or subsidized treatment to thalassaemic children for improving their quality of life