ASSESSMENT OF PATIENTS’ COMPREHENSION OF INFORMED CONSENT PRACTICES FOR SURGICAL PROCEDURES IN HEALTH FACILITIES IN OGBOMOSO, OYO- STATE.

Background: Informed Consent is a very crucial aspect of any surgical procedure and should be done with respect to the patient's autonomy. Patients have the right to be aware of the importance, processes, risks, benefits, alternatives, and complications of the surgical procedure they are being scheduled for and to understand it in details. Objectives: This study aimed to assess patients’ comprehension of informed consent practices for Surgical Procedures in health facilities in Ogbomoso, Oyo- State. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, in which a total number of 198 surgical patients were recruited using a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using a pretested interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Service Solutions (SPSS) version 26. Data was subjected to univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses. The level of significance for the study was set at p-value < 0.05. Results: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, in which a total number of 198 surgical patients were recruited using a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using a pretested interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Service Solutions (SPSS) version 26. Data was subjected to univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses. The level of significance for the study was set at p-value < 0.05.ean age of respondents for this study was 40.05 ±16.01years. Less than half of the participants, 95(48.0%) had tertiary education, More than three-fourths 151, (76.3%) of the surgical patients studied had good knowledge while 47, (27.7%) had poor knowledge of informed consent process. Majority of the respondents 139(70.2%) had good perception and 59, (29.8%) had poor perception about informed consent process. About 148, (74.7%) of the participants signed an informed consent document for the surgical procedure they were about to have or have had. Nearly two-thirds 130, (65.7%) of the respondents were satisfied with the process of decision-making for the surgery and treatment offered them. At bivariate levels, a statistically significant association was found between socio-demographic variables; age (p=0.001), level of education (p=0.0013), occupation (p=0.008) and knowledge of the informed consent process among the study participants. There was also a statistically significant association between perception (p=0.006), practice (p=0.001) and knowledge of the informed consent process among the respondents. In this study, after a binary logistic regression was done, age, level of education, occupation, religion (AOR= 0.066, 95% CI; 0.095-0.354, p=0.001) and knowledge (AOR= 0.071, 95% CI; 0.315-0.597, p