Does Patient's Gender Influence 2-way Communication on Anaesthesia Risk Information-Exchange During Informed Consent Obtention? A Prospective Interview-Based Study

The primary goal of informed consent process is to educate patients about their diagnosis, nature and purpose of proposed treatments, potential risks and benefits, available alternatives, and possible outcomes of declining treatment. Though it promotes patient's autonomy, the process also emphasizes their right to decide about their own care, rather than having decisions made solely by the physician. The informed consent framework is built on three essential pillars:

1. Effective risk disclosure by the Clinician (Anaesthesiologist)
2. Patient's perception and understanding of the disclosed risks, including their engagement with the information
3. Patient's ability to evaluate the information, make informed choices, and express a willingness to proceed based on a balanced understanding of the core context and the possible alternatives.

In contemporary medical practice, the informed consent process frequently does not fulfill these criteria. Several gaps have been identified, including, questions about whether anaesthesiologist perceive risk disclosure as a moral obligation or merely a procedural duty, and whether they genuinely respect patient autonomy.

Current evidence indicates that the goal of truly shared decision-making in the context of risk disclosure remains unexplored. The informed consent process often involves an unidirectional flow of information, where the physician discusses the procedure, risks, and potential outcomes with the patient. However, specific risks associated with anaesthesia are frequently under- communicated, as anaesthesiologists' insights into anaesthesia-related complications are not always integrated into pre-operative discussions. For patient-centric care to be administered at par, it is crucial that the risks associated with surgery and anaesthesia are communicated effectively.

The persistence of challenges in risk communication raises several important questions. Research on doctors' perspectives suggests that inadequate communication skills remain a significant barrier, especially when junior doctors or nurses-often tasked with obtaining consent due to the time constraints of senior staff - may not be adequately trained. Unfortunately, in many healthcare settings, the practice remains largely one-sided, with risk information sharing being an informational "dump" rather than a dialogue. These personnel, lacking the specialized knowledge of anaesthesiologists, might not convey the critical information needed for patients to make fully informed decisions.