SynthesisBJS open2023
Digital technology in informed consent for surgery: systematic review.
Synthesis in BJS open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Digital Twin-Assisted Risk Disclosure in Adults Undergoing Elective Bronchoscopy: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Impact of the clinical role of interventional radiologists: results of the CLINTERVENTIONAL randomized controlled trial.European radiology · 2025Trial
- Effectiveness of motion-graphic video for informed consent in patients undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy for androgenetic alopecia: a randomized controlled study.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Trial
- A Locally Executable AI System for Improving Preoperative Patient Communication: Multidomain Clinical Evaluation.JMIR medical informatics · 2026Article
- Improving GIRFT compliance and patient experience of accessibility and shared decision making for elective hip and knee replacement: incorporation of a digital patient information leaflet.BMJ open quality · 2026Article
- Liability in Telesurgery: Navigating Legal, Ethical, and Cross-Border Challenges in the Era of Global Surgical Care.Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre · 2026Review
- Patient-Reported Perceptions of Surgical Informed Consent Communication in Elective General Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Chinese Tertiary Hospital.Patient preference and adherence · 2026Article
- Protocol: Strategies to Enhance Inclusion in Informed Consent Practice for People With Vision and/or Hearing Support Needs: A Systematic Review.Campbell systematic reviews · 2025Article
- CLINTERVENTIONAL protocol: a randomized controlled trial to evaluate clinical consultations and audiovisual tools for interventional radiology.European radiology experimental · 2025Article
- Digital Versus Paper-Based Consent from the UK NHS Perspective: A Micro-costing Analysis.PharmacoEconomics - open · 2025Article
- Virtual reality for patient informed consent in skull base tumors and intracranial vascular pathologies: A pilot study.Acta neurochirurgica · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundInformed consent is an ethical and legal requirement in healthcare and supports patient autonomy to make informed choices about their own care. This review explores the impact of digital technology for informed consent in surgery.
methodsA systematic search of EBSCOhost (MEDLINE/CINAHL), Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science was performed in November 2021. All RCTs comparing outcomes of both digital and non-digital (standard) consent in surgery were included. Each included study underwent an evaluation of methodological quality using the Cochrane risk of bias (2.0) tool. Outcomes assessed included comprehension, level of satisfaction and anxiety, and feasibility of digital interventions in practice.
resultsA total of 40 studies, across 13 countries and 15 surgical specialties were included in this analysis. Digital consent interventions used active patient participation and passive patient participation in 15 and 25 studies respectively. Digital consent had a positive effect on early comprehension in 21 of 30 (70 per cent) studies and delayed comprehension in 9 of 20 (45 per cent) studies. Only 16 of 38 (42 per cent) studies assessed all four elements of informed consent: general information, risks, benefits, and alternatives. Most studies showed no difference in satisfaction or anxiety. A minority of studies reported on feasibility of digital technology in practice.
conclusionDigital technologies in informed consent for surgery were found to have a positive effect on early comprehension, without any negative effect on satisfaction or anxiety. It is recommended that future studies explore the feasibility of these applications for vulnerable patient groups and busy surgical practice.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.