Pediatric otoplasty and informed consent: do information handouts improve parental risk recall?

[BACKGROUND] The elective nature of pediatric otoplasty requires that parents are well educated regarding the risks involved. Simple educational tools have been found to enhance risk recall in some surgical procedures.

[OBJECTIVE] To assess the effectiveness of information handouts in improving parental risk recall.

[METHODS] Fifty caregivers were randomly assigned to receive traditional oral dialog of the surgical risks, or to receive oral discussion and a written handout outlining the risks of otoplasty. Twelve to 14 days after the consultation, parents were contacted for assessment of risk recall.

[RESULTS] Overall risk recall was 48% (3.4 of 7 risks recalled). Bleeding (82%) was the most commonly recalled risk, while cartilage necrosis/deformation (14%) was the least recalled risk. Mean risk recall was higher in the group that received written information (3.9 of 7 risks) compared to the group that received only oral discussion (2.8 of 7 risks) (p=0.003). No child or parental variables were significantly related to higher risk recall on multivariable analysis.

[CONCLUSION] Caregiver risk recall in pediatric otoplasty was improved with the addition of written information provided during the informed consent process. As the consent process serves a vital role in pediatric otolaryngology, the use of supplementary educational materials should be further studied.