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The effect of structured consent on recall of information pre- and post-electroconvulsive therapy: a pilot study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

J. Greening ,
P. Bentham ,
J. Stemman ,
V. Staples ,
S. Ambegaokar ,
R. Upthegrove  and
E. Day
J. Greening
Affiliation:
All Birmingham Psychiatry Rotational Training Scheme
P. Bentham*
Affiliation:
The Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, Edgebaston, Birmingham B15 2QZ
J. Stemman
Affiliation:
West Midlands Higher Training Scheme in Psychiatry
V. Staples
Affiliation:
West Midlands Higher Training Scheme in Psychiatry
S. Ambegaokar
Affiliation:
All Birmingham Psychiatry Rotational Training Scheme
R. Upthegrove
Affiliation:
All Birmingham Psychiatry Rotational Training Scheme
E. Day
Affiliation:
All Birmingham Psychiatry Rotational Training Scheme
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

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Aims and method

A randomised, blind comparison of a structured consent procedure against routine consent was conducted to determine whether it had any utility in improving treatment knowledge In patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Additionally we aimed to determine whether degree of cognitive impairment intelligence and severity of depression influenced recall of information.

Results

Thirty-two subjects were investigated. Structured consent significantly improved the number of knowledge items recalled pre-ECT (P<0.05). Knowledge scores declined significantly after completion of the treatment course in both structured consent (P<0.05) and control groups (P<0.06). There was a significant correlation between Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores and the number of knowledge items recalled both pre- (r=0.43, P<0.05) and post-ECT (r=0.53, P<0.01).

Clinical implications

Structured consent procedures may be a useful way of improving patient knowledge of ECT and merit further study. Low scores on MMSE should caution clinicians to take particular care when consenting patients to ECT.

Type
Original Papers
Information
Psychiatric Bulletin , Volume 23 , Issue 8: The Journal of Trends in Psychiatric Practice , August 1999 , pp. 471 - 474
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

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