Evaluation of the attitude and level of knowledge of assistants and interns of the University of Medical Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army regarding informed consent in 2019

One of the most basic rights of patients is the right to consent to accept a treatment method. Informed consent is the foundation of medical ethics. Compliance with the standard process of obtaining informed consent from the patient in the fields of therapeutic and research activities, while directly affecting the patient's satisfaction, will lead to a reduction in complaints and legal and disciplinary interventions from the medical staff. For this purpose, the present study was conducted.

The current research is a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study. The data collection tool was the standard questionnaire of knowledge and attitude towards informed consent and its legal aspects. For data analysis, appropriate descriptive and analytical tests were used and the significant level was considered less than 0.05.

The average attitude score of assistants was 3.14±0.93 and interns was 2.80±1.23. Also, the average knowledge score of assistants was 15.23±3.79 and interns was 14.64±3.79. Among the demographic variables evaluated, there was only a significant relationship between the attitude and the field of study of the assistants, as well as between the attitude and the marital status of the interns.

The results of this research showed that the knowledge and attitude of assistants and interns about informed consent and its legal aspects is average. Considering the importance of this issue, it is necessary to make changes in the educational process of the university in order to plan an educational program in this regard.