Informed Consent in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Lumbar Puncture: Are Patients Aware of the Risks?

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether the type of informed consent (verbal or written and verbal) influenced the awareness of patients about the risks of lumbar puncture (LP).

Materials and Methods: An “informed consent form” was given to the patients in group 1 24 h before the procedure, and the patients were requested to read and sign the form. The informed consent form was given to patients in group 2, and then, a neurologist verbally explained the complications mentioned in the form to the patients. After the procedure, patients in both groups were asked whether they were aware of the complications mentioned in the consent form.

Results: We included 43 patients (group 1, n=23 and group 2, n=20) in the study; 14% (n=6) of the patients were university graduates, 18% (n=8) had completed high-school education, and 67% (n=29) had completed primary education. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of age, sex, and education level. The mean value of the number of complications that the patients were aware of was 1.17±1.02 and 7.35±1.26 in groups 1 and 2, respectively. We observed a significant difference in the number of complications that the patients were aware of between both groups (p<0.001).

Conclusion: The responsibilities of physicians are not solely limited to giving the informed consent form to the patients before LP. Physicians should explain the contents of the form verbally to the patients.