Volume 20, Issue 3, June 2015, Pages 463–468
Abstract
Purpose
This
study explored chiropractic patients' perceptions of exchanging risk
information during informed consent and compared them with the legal
perspective of the informed consent process.
Methods
Interviews
were conducted with 26 participants, recruited from chiropractic
clinics. Transcripts were analysed using a constant comparative method
of analysis.
Findings
Participants
experienced informed consent as an on-going process where risk
information informed their decisions to receive treatment throughout
four distinct stages. In the first stage, information acquired prior to
arriving at the clinic for treatment shaped perceptions of risk. In
stage two, participants assessed the perceived competence of their
practitioners. Participants then signed the consent form and discussed
the risks with their practitioners. Finally, they communicated with
their practitioners during treatment to ensure their pain threshold was
not crossed.
Conclusion
These
findings suggest that chiropractic patients perceive informed consent
as a process involving communication with their practitioners, and that
it is possible to educate patients about the risks associated with
treatment while satisfying the legal requirements of informed consent.
Keywords
- Informed consent;
- Spinal manipulation;
- Chiropractic
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
