Informed consent - a assessment of knowledge and attitudes of te citizens from the Republic of Croatia and Switzerland

CILJ: Osnovni cilj ovoga rada je usporedba znanja i stavova građana Republike Hrvatske i Švicarske o informiranom pristanku u zdravstvenim ustanovama. Uz provedeno istraživanje u navedenim zemljama te analizom i prikazom podataka, cilj je ukazati na važnost zdravstvenih politika prema informiranom pristanku i otvaranje daljnjih pitanja u toj domeni. ISPITANICI I METODE: Za potrebe ovog rada napravljen je anketni upitnik u Google obrascu koji je proslijeđen u obliku on-line obrasca putem društvenih mreža. Uz poštivanje svih etička načela upitnik se ispunjavao dragovoljno i anonimno. Ukupan broj ispitanika koji su pristupili anketnom obrascu je 751, od toga 540 u Republici Hrvatskoj i 211 u Švicarskoj. Upitnik je proveden i ispitanicima ponuđen na hrvatskom i njemačkom jeziku, s istim pitanjima i ponuđenim odgovorima. Ispitivanje razlike između ispitanika provodilo se upotrebom hi-kvadrat testa i Mann-Whitneyevog U testa, dok se razlika u zastupljenosti ispitala Z testom razlike u proporcijama dva nezavisna uzorka. Zaključci su doneseni pri razini signifikantnosti od 5%. Analiza je rađena u statističkoj programskoj podršci STATISTICA 12 (TIBCO Software Inc., Palo Alto, California). REZULTATI: U obje promatrane zemlje najčešća starosna dob bila je 26-45 godina, a ta starosna skupina je među ispitanicima u Republici Hrvatskoj bila 1,65 puta zastupljenija u odnosu na ispitanike iz Švicarske. Najveći broj ispitanika u promatranim zemljama već se dosad susreo s informativnim pristankom – 77,6% u Republici Hrvatskoj te 46,9% u Švicarskoj. Nadalje, većina ispitanika smatra da bi trebalo više vremena posvetiti objašnjenju terapijskih, dijagnostičkih ili operativnih zahvata, dok ispitanici iz Švicarske 4,17 puta učestalije dijele stav da zdravstvene ustanove pridaju dovoljno pažnje informiranom pristanku u odnosu na zastupljenost ispitanika iz Hrvatske koji dijele navedeni stav. ZAKLJUČAK: Provedenim istraživanjem dolazimo do zaključka kako sudionici istraživanja u Republici Hrvatskoj nisu u istoj mjeri informirani u zdravstvenim ustanovama o informiranom pristanku kao u Švicarskoj. Vidljivo je da sudionici istraživanja u obje zemlje i dalje teže ka većoj zastupljenosti informiranog pristanka u zdravstvenim ustanovama.AIM: The principal objective of this thesis was to compare the knowledge and attitudes of the citizens of the Republic of Croatia and Switzerland on informed consent in health care institutions. In addition to the research conducted in these countries and the analysis and presentation of data, the aim was to point out the importance of health policies which take informed consent into account, as well as to open further questions in this area. METHODS: For the purposes of the thesis, a survey questionnaire was created in Google Forms, which was distributed online via social networks. In compliance with all ethical principles, the questionnaire was completed by respondents voluntarily and anonymously. The total number of participants was 751, 540 from the Republic of Croatia and 211 from Switzerland. The questionnaire was conducted and offered to the respondents in Croatian and German languages, with the same set of questions and offered answers. The difference between the subjects was examined using the chi-square test and the Mann-Whitney U test, while the Z test was used to examine differences in the proportions of two independent samples. Conclusions were drawn at a significance level of 5%. The analysis was performed with the aid of statistical software STATISTICA 12 (TIBCO Software Inc., Palo Alto, California). RESULTS: In both observed countries, the most common age group was 26-45 years, which was 1.65 times more represented among respondents in the Republic of Croatia compared to respondents from Switzerland. The largest number of respondents in the observed countries has already met with informed consent – 77.6% in the Republic of Croatia and 46.9% in Switzerland. Furthermore, most respondents believe that more time should be devoted to explaining therapeutic, diagnostic or surgical procedures, while respondents from Switzerland share the view that health care institutions pay enough attention to informed consent 4.17 times more often when compared to the sample of Croatian respondents who share this view. CONCLUSION: The conducted research leads to the conclusion that the respondents from the Republic of Croatia are not informed to the same extent in health care institutions regarding the informed consent as in Switzerland. It can be concluded that research participants in both countries continue to strive for better representation of informed consent in health care facilities