Perceptions of Informed Consent and Consumerism in Health.

Abstract

Current practices in the health field indicate a communication gap between providers and consumers. Despite the existence of the informed consent principle to protect health consumers, there are many documented cases in which physicians have rendered medical treatment without adequate informed consent from the patients. Indeed, many patients in the U.S. are unaware of their rights to information and decision making about their own health care. Thus, remedial measures, such as improved community education on self-care, need to be explored by health professionals, but an evaluation of consumer knowledge and attitudes toward health services is necessary before constructive action can be taken. This study measures current public awareness of and attitudes toward consumer rights and informed consent in three counties (Wayne, Oakl and , and Macomb) of Metropolitan Detroit, to ascertain at what stage residents were in the social action process, as defined by the Bettinghaus model for social change. Two hundred forty respondents in eight communities were selected by a systematic r and om sampling procedure. Their responses to a st and ard questionnaire in a telephone survey were analyzed. Response rate showed the telephone survey technique was a viable method for this study. Findings suggested that respondents, regardless of age, race, and educational level, were willing to assume consumer responsibilities in seeking information and making decisions about their own health matters. A great majority of respondents perceived that the informed consent principle was infrequently and inadequately implemented in medical practice. On the perceptions of health provider-consumer relationships, while the majority were dissatisfied with the relationship, female respondents expressed a much stronger dissatisfaction than male respondents about the relationship. In general, the level of knowledge of informed consent was low; but people in communities with lower per capita incomes had the least knowledge of the informed consent issues. Therefore, while the Metropolitan Detroit public was ready to seek further information, residents of lower income communities had the greatest need for intensive education on the informed consent principle, a significant finding for health professionals charged with improving the provider-consumer relationship in the health field.