Informed consent (IC) is meant to guarantee the patients' right to health by safeguarding their freedom of choice and their right to information on medical assistance. Nevertheless, in medical practice often the physicians are overwhelmed by the amount and dynamism of their work and they use the IC as a bureaucratic step, without regard towards the patient's actual understanding. Even in the field of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) this instrument seems to be poorly valued by the physicians, despite the various implications of the ART procedure. In this regard, we conducted a direct 7-month experience at the Sterility and Assisted Reproduction Unit of the University Hospital Umberto I in Rome where we introduced the practice of Informed Consent Conversation with the infertile couples. In this clinic the IC was not explained to the partners, but they were required to sign it at home and to bring it back to the following medical examination. Instead, we proposed an interactive question-and-answer method of Informed Consent with the couples. In this way, the partners could interactively discuss the issues described in the form and directly expose their doubts and questions about it. This dialogue interaction seemed to improve the couple’s understanding and awareness about the ART procedure. Moreover, although the IC conversations highlighted the possible risks and criticalities of the procedure, such as its low success rates, the patients were always thankful for the answers and clarifications received. In this way, the IC became non only a bureaucratic step, but also a moment in which the partners could think together about the procedure’s implications. Furthermore, we think that would be advantageous to introduce a physician-psychologist’s co-presence during the IC conversation. This would allow the patients to be globally accompanied in their therapeutic experience, integrating in their minds the medical and emotional issues of the whole treatment.
Informed Consent Conversation in Assisted Reproductive Technologies: a direct experience / Fedele, Fabiola; Cordella, B.. - In: MEDITERRANEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY. - ISSN 2282-1619. - (2018). (Intervento presentato al convegno XX Congresso Nazionale Psicologia Dinamica e Clinica tenutosi a Urbino).
Informed Consent Conversation in Assisted Reproductive Technologies: a direct experience
FEDELE, FABIOLA;Cordella B.
2018
Abstract
Informed consent (IC) is meant to guarantee the patients' right to health by safeguarding their freedom of choice and their right to information on medical assistance. Nevertheless, in medical practice often the physicians are overwhelmed by the amount and dynamism of their work and they use the IC as a bureaucratic step, without regard towards the patient's actual understanding. Even in the field of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) this instrument seems to be poorly valued by the physicians, despite the various implications of the ART procedure. In this regard, we conducted a direct 7-month experience at the Sterility and Assisted Reproduction Unit of the University Hospital Umberto I in Rome where we introduced the practice of Informed Consent Conversation with the infertile couples. In this clinic the IC was not explained to the partners, but they were required to sign it at home and to bring it back to the following medical examination. Instead, we proposed an interactive question-and-answer method of Informed Consent with the couples. In this way, the partners could interactively discuss the issues described in the form and directly expose their doubts and questions about it. This dialogue interaction seemed to improve the couple’s understanding and awareness about the ART procedure. Moreover, although the IC conversations highlighted the possible risks and criticalities of the procedure, such as its low success rates, the patients were always thankful for the answers and clarifications received. In this way, the IC became non only a bureaucratic step, but also a moment in which the partners could think together about the procedure’s implications. Furthermore, we think that would be advantageous to introduce a physician-psychologist’s co-presence during the IC conversation. This would allow the patients to be globally accompanied in their therapeutic experience, integrating in their minds the medical and emotional issues of the whole treatment.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
