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Pediatric Anesthesia Consent - Visual Aids

Surgery | Anesthesia

Informed consent in pediatric anesthesia is obtained from the caregiver by the anesthesiologist prior to surgery. Studies demonstrate that caregivers often do not fully understand or recall the information (risks and benefits) discussed with them during the consent process. The use of visual aids (pictographs etc.) in the consent process has been studied and found beneficial in increasing recall of the discussion about surgery (appendectomy) and for sedation in the emergency department. The investigators developed posters/pamphlets as visual aids with information about general anesthesia and risks involved to help the caregivers understand the process and risks better when their child comes in for an elective procedure. This randomized controlled trial comparing the recall and satisfaction of the standard consent process with and without the use of the visual aids will help evaluate whether the consent process and caregiver understanding can be improved by using these aids.

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Participation Requirements

  • Sex:

    ALL

  • Eligible Ages:

    0 and up

Participation Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* caregivers of pediatric patients under the age of 18 years old who are undergoing elective surgical procedures (adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy, tympanoplasty, mastoidectomy, strabismus repair, appendectomy, cholecystectomy, herniotomy, circumcision, etc.) requiring a general anesthetic

Exclusion Criteria:Caregivers (study participants) will be excluded from the study if the patient they are a caregiver for meets any of the following criteria:

* having major surgery
* emergency surgery
* ASA (American Society of Anesthesiology) IV and above
* has had previous surgery
* pediatric patients who sign their own consent

Caregivers (study participants) will be excluded if:

* language of communication other than English
* they refuse to provide informed consent

Study Location

London Health Sciences Centre
London Health Sciences Centre
London, Ontario
Canada

Contact Study Team

Primary Contact

Niveditha Karuppiah

[email protected]
Study Sponsored By
London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute and Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's
Participants Required
More Information
Study ID: NCT05774743