ICIT: Recall A Multicentre Study of Consent For Hip Fractures

Improving Consent In Trauma: Recall (ICIT Recall) will be a multicentre quality improvement project within the NHS clinical care setting. The aim of this study is to assess hip fracture patient's ability retain information regarding their injury, proposed operation, potential complications, and alternatives. following obtaining formal written consent. To that end, the project is intended to be a multicentre study, with interviews across a range of different health boards. The investigators also wish to listen to individual patients' experience of the surgical consent process through a follow-up interview once it has been over one week since their operation. Part (1), the structured face-to-face questionnaire was established to identify the extent of the problem and what patients find memorable or overlooked about the consent process. Part (2), the interview was designed to obtain qualitative data on what patients find important and to allow the participants to tell their story. The overarching objective of this project is to empower patients so that they are more involved and have a greater understanding of the operation that they have consented to. This includes simple measures such as providing a patient information leaflet or improving communication with the patient or close family members during their consent process. Sometimes, poor retention of information is unavoidable due to the significant pain and stress patients are under, and for this reason our aim is to improve the quality of consent for major procedures like hip operations. As part of the project, the investigators also wish to engage with and capture patient-cantered experiences through a further interview. The investigators aim to like to capture their experience of the consent process entirely from the patient's perspective. Patient stories are a powerful tool to promote culture change in patient care. Unlike surveys, patient stories allow a seamless flow of thoughts and feelings that can provide insight into their journey to recovery. Here, the aim is to highlight the importance of good communication and an overall clear consent process in promoting wellbeing. This aspect of care tends to be overlooked. Addressing this issue is particularly important in delivering compassionate care within the NHS.