Evaluate the practice of preoperative informed consent for elective surgical patients at the university hospital, Ethiopia, in 2022

Background: Obtaining preoperative informed consent is considered an integral part of modern clinical practice. It works as a safeguard of the patient's rights and minimizes the chances of legal action against the surgical team members. This study was to evaluate the practice of informed consent in patients undergoing elective surgery. Methods: The study was approved by the ethical committee of the school of medicine. The patients were reassured about the anonymity of their information. A study was conducted at different surgical departments of a teaching university hospital for one month. Participants were selected based on consecutive sampling from patients over the age of 18 years who had undergone elective surgery. Results: The overall adherence of our study to standard guidelines was 48.5%. During informed consent, 51% of patients were informed about their current condition; 49% of patients were informed about the nature and purpose of the proposed surgery; and 25% of patients were informed about the estimated duration of surgery and anesthesia. Conclusion and recommendation: The overall adherence of our study to standard guidelines was 48.5%. The quality of the makeshift informed consent process in this study is less than the standards. There is a great need to educate the surgical team members regarding the importance of patients' autonomy and their right to information about the proposed surgical procedure and anesthesia.