Use of standardized visual aids improves informed consent for appendectomy in children: A randomized control trial

Abstract Background Obtaining informed consent for surgical procedures is often compromised by patient and family educational background, complexity of the forms, and language barriers. We developed and tested a visual aid in order to improve the informed consent process for families of children with appendicitis. Methods Families were randomized to receive either a standard surgical consent or a standard consent plus visual aid. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the effectiveness of adding the visual aid to the consent procedure. Results Parents in both cohorts were similar in age, gender and education level (p > 0.05). On multivariate analysis, visual consent had the strongest influence on parent/guardian comprehension (OR 4.0; 95%CI 2.2–7.2; p  Conclusion Visual aids improve understanding and retention of information given during the informed consent process of children with appendicitis.