Quality of an informed consent prior to a surgical intervention? Experience of a teaching hospital

Objective: To determine how far the information given by the physicians for the informed consent prior to the surgical intervention is comprehended by the patients

Methods: The study was carried out between July 1[st], 2012 and July 1[st], 2013 at Gulhane Medical Faculty. A total of 400 patients, who were in the third postoperative day after various surgical procedures [orthopedics, urology, ophthalmology, plastic surgery and breast surgery], were included in the study

Results: Of all the patients, 73.5% stated that the operative information was provided by physicians, whereas 22.7% claimed that no information was given in this regard. The patients who knew the name of the disease was 78%, while 18.3% did not know. Of all the patients, 25.7% knew the name of the operation, in contrast to of 52.3% who did not know it. About 12.5% of patients stated that they were not informed about the likely complications during the surgery, whereas 13.7% of patients reported that they were not informed about the post-operative complications

Conclusion: The verbal information and the written texts, different approaches such as drawings and visual materials [i.e. video's and photographs] should be considered while providing information to the patients. While doing so the level of education of the community should also be taken into account

Determination of the attitudes of Turkish infertile women towards surrogacy and oocyte donation

To determine the attitudes toward gestational surrogacy and egg donation amongst the Turkish married infertile females. This descriptive study was carried out in a maternity hospital. Patients were 250 married women who had applied for infertility treatment. Of the participants [n=250], 60 females [24.0%] answered positive attitude for surrogate motherhood and 65 [26.0%] for egg donation. Among the participants who stated positive response, 30 [50.0%] females stated that identity of the surrogate mother was not important. Among the participants who stated positive response to accept egg donation from someone [n=65], "only from someone whom I do not know" was the most common answer [n=30, 46.2%].We consider that, oocyte donation and surrogate motherhood will have the potential to empower women and increase their status in society in near future. These techniques also have frightening potential for deepening their exploitation and unsolved ethical dilemmas