Objective:

evaluate the patient's known informationabouttheir pathology and treatment after obtaining the informed consent.

Materials and methods:

a prospective observational pilot study, a surveyperformed by medical student to all the patients who underwent elective thyroidectomy, cholecistectomy, umbilical or inguinal hernia repair (unilateral), in October 2015. At the end they were corrected informed if they refer wrong or incomplete information, using images or tablets.

Results:

23 of 28 patients agreed to participate in this study. 22 patients (95%) knew their diagnosis and what surgery they would undergo. Only 7 patients (30%) have reading completely the informed consent. 17 patients (74%) were able to show the correct region of the body where the incision would be made. 10 patients (44%) could not an recall any possible complication, and the most mentioned complication were pain/discomfort, hernia recurrence, and bleeding. 19 patients (83%) refer that the survey with audiovisual support improve they understanding about the diagnosis and surgical procedure.

Conclusions:

Most patients know their diagnosis and the surgical procedure they would undergo. The proportion of patients that read completely the consent inform is low. Very few patients are aware of surgical complications. Audiovisual support could enhance the understanding and comprehension of the informed consent.

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