Informed Consent in Endoscopy: Read, Understood or Merely Signed?

Informed Consent in Endoscopy: Read, Understood or Merely Signed?

Informed consent form is a legal document that, ethically, should be obtained before any endoscopic procedure is performed.

The main purpose of this research study is to assess the readability, comprehensibility and applicability of the new informed consent proposed by the Portuguese Society of Digestive Endoscopy as a way to standardize the information provided to patients prior to endoscopic exams.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult patients able to autonomously give informed consent
• Patients refered to elective endoscopic procedures (upper digestive endoscopy and/or colonoscopy) without deep sedation.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients refered to urgent endoscopic procedures
• Patients refered for endoscopic procedures with deep sedation