Medical Ethics Advisor highlights ICU consent research

getty stock photo of ICU

Audiovisual modules may improve knowledge and comprehension of ICU procedures, according to
the results of a study of critically ill surgical patients and their legally authorized representatives.

“This study was motivated by our observation that there are substantial barriers to obtaining informed consent for commonly performed ICU procedures,” says Tyler J. Loftus, MD, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor of acute care surgery at the University of Florida.

According to the study, time constraints limit clinicians’ ability to provide a full, detailed description of each procedure.

“Verbal descriptions of complex medical and procedural concepts can be difficult for patients to understand without the use of audiovisual aids,” Loftus said.

Thanks to the work of resident Tiffany Anderson, M.D., who designed the module used in the study, and professor Philip Efron, M.D., M who steered the project wire to wire and implemented the module in UF Health’s ICUs) were instrumental in the study’s execution.

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