Quality of informed consent at King Abdullah Medical Complex in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Abstract: - Background: Care provided to patients can be enhanced by their awareness and understanding of informed consent process. This study aims to evaluate and measure the quality of informed consent at King Abdullah Medical Complex, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (KAMCJ). Methods: A cross-sectional study using a valid and reliable survey to assess informed consent. Hospital-admitted patients (n=399) were randomly selected during 1-31/03/2022 in (KAMCJ). Results: There were 54.1% (n=216) females and 45.9% (n=183) males with a mean age 41.67 (±16.8). Illiterates formed 1.3% (n=5), high schoolers 29.8% (n=119), and university-degree patients 49.9% (n=199). Significant associations were found between understanding the consent and educational level. University-degree patients reported higher percentages regarding consent clarity, needing help understanding it, and how easy to understand it was (p<0.05). Conclusion: Both patients and physicians should be provided with skills and tools to enhance the informed consent process. Improvement of readability, easiness, and understanding of informed consent forms can enhance patients’ experience.