Author(s)

Christiane Nsahlai^1*, Ojong Samuel^2*, Luchuo Engelbert³, Nseme Eric⁴, Tarkang Elvis⁵, Gouané Mathias², Ombaku Kingsley¹, Foumane Pascal⁶

¹Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon.
²Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon.
³Global Health Research and Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁴Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon.
⁵School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
⁶Yaounde Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon.

Introduction: Informed consent is a process that enshrines respect for patients’ autonomy, their dignity, and their rights to determine what happens to their own bodies. We set out to describe the surgical informed consent process and evaluate its quality in patients undergoing elective gynaecological surgeries in two University Teaching Hospitals in Yaounde, Cameroon. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, prospective study over 9 month period, from October 1^st, 2018, to June 30^th, 2019 at the Yaounde Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital (YGOPH) and the Yaounde Central Hospital (YCH). By administering a modified Brezis questionnaire 48 hours after surgery, we obtained data which enabled us to evaluate and score the informed consent process and obtained written reports of patients’ appreciation of key aspects of the informed consent process prior to surgery. We then called each participant 6 months after their surgery date to obtain information on the occurrence or not of post-operative complications. Results: We recruited 72 patients aged 24 to 68 years old (61 at YGOPH, 11 at YCH). The operating gynaecologist sought patient consent in 65.3% (49/72) of cases, while 61.1% (44/72) of the subjects would have loved to have more information on surgical risks; 69.4% (50/72) were satisfied with the consent process; and 56.9% (41/72) could recall and repeat the information they received prior to surgery. While 37.5% (27/72) had poor quality (non-valid consent), 40.3% had good quality consent (valid). Consent administered by the gynaecologist (OR = 0.172; 95% CI = 0.060 - 0.049) was a strong determinant of valid consent. Also, patients with non-valid consent significantly reported more complications (OR = 4.469; 95% CI = 1.412 - 14.147) than those with valid consent. Conclusion: Informed consent prior to elective gynaecological surgeries in our study was poor. The timing of the consent process, as well as the person involved in the process affect the validity of the consent.

Informed Consent, Elective Gynaecological Surgery, Yaounde

Nsahlai, C. , Samuel, O. , Engelbert, L. , Eric, N. , Elvis, T. , Mathias, G. , Kingsley, O. and Pascal, F. (2022) Informed Consent Prior to Elective Gynaecological Surgery in Two Reference Hospitals in Yaoundé, Cameroon: A Mixed Methods Study. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 12, 958-978. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2022.129080.