Using principles of health literacy to enhance the informed consent process

THE LANGUAGE COMMONLY used in procedural/surgical consent forms often exceeds the average reading level of US patients, and many do not read the document before signing it.INCORPORATING READER-FRIENDLY language and formatting makes it more likely that patients will read the document, understand it, and therefore give informed consent. Adding “teach back” into the document provides a means of evaluating patient understanding.USING READER-FRIENDLY procedural/surgical consent documents merges the objectives of both health literacy and informed consent. AORN J 88 (July 2008) 23-29. © AORN, Inc, 2008.