Effects of the Admission Guideline Form on Validity of Consent in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Research has shown that medical consents are not valid. In fact, consents are usually provided by unauthorized persons whose identification is not accurately approved. This research tried to specify the effects of an admission guideline form on validity of medical consents. Methods: This experimental study was conducted in four teaching hospitals in Sari, Iran during 2010. After reading the admission guideline, the case group had to present the necessary documents to prove their identity and be able to consent for their patient’s admission. The control group included patients who had been admitted before the beginning of this project. Two copies of the admission guideline form had been prepared (one for the hospital and one for the patients). The names of patients who had received the form were recorded in a list for further follow-up. The patients who had the form on the day of admission entered the study. A number of variables such as the validity of the consents for "treatment and surgery" and "using medical information", patient’s age, sex, and place of residence, the relation of the consenting person with the patient, and the patient, his/her attendant, and the receptionist’s education level were recorded. Using previous research, primary evaluations, and the formula of sample size, 66 persons form each hospital were selected. Content validity was determined based on the relationship between the patient and the consenting person. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics and chi-square and binominal tests in SPSS. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Employing the admission guideline form increased the validity of consents for treatment and surgery and using medical information by about 18.6% and 15.6%, respectively. The validity of consents provided by patients younger than 19 years of age and 55-60 years old was higher than the other age groups. The validity of consents was higher in the case group than in the control group. In addition, the validity of consents was not significantly related with the receptionist’s education level. Conclusion: Using the admission guideline form was improved the validity of the provided consents. This form can be a beneficial tool to educate patients about the necessary documents in the hospital. Furthermore, training the personnel and/or using the validity of consents as an evaluation index in their promotion will also be warranted. Keywords: Validity; Consent Forms; Documentation; Hospitals