When giving informed consent for surgery, almost 40% of people didn't get information about treatment alternatives (Agozzino et al BMC Med Ethics. 2019)

When giving informed consent for chemotherapy, 43% of patients said their doctor didn't discuss alternative therapies.

18% said the goal of treatment was not clear. 7% said they didn't understand the goal of treatment at all. (Schwaegermann et al J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2021)

Of the information that is provided, studies show that patients are able to recall only 20-40% afterwards. (Herath et al EClinicalMedicine 2023)

This is the state of affairs of information transfer in a rushed, emotionally fraught setting for incredibly high stakes health care decisions.

Please go into discussions about your health with eyes wide open about how much data is missed or forgotten under the status quo doctor-patient conversation.

If you want better results, change the game. Record, do research, and have backup advocating for you.

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Photo credit: https://mrctcenter.org/