We have identified efforts by research ers to investigate interventions which seek to improve information delivery and consideration of information to enhance  informed consent .
The interventions used consistently improve patient knowledge , an important prerequisite for informed consent .
This is encouraging and these measures could be widely employed although we are not able to say with confidence which types of interventions are preferable .
Our results should be interpreted with caution due to the high levels of heterogeneity associated with many of the main analyses although we believe there is broad evidence of beneficial outcomes for patients with the pragmatic application of interventions .
BACKGROUND Achieving informed consent is a core clinical procedure and is required before any surgical or invasive procedure is undertaken .
However , it is a complex process which requires patients be provided with information which they can underst and and retain , opportunity to consider their options , and to be able to express their opinions and ask questions .
There is evidence that at present some patients undergo procedures without informed consent being achieved .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects on patients , clinicians and the healthcare system of interventions to promote informed consent for patients undergoing surgical and other invasive healthcare treatments and procedures .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Informed consent is an important ethical and practical part of patient care .
A chairside aid for shared decision making in dentistry: a randomized controlled trial.
The concept of shared decision making ( SDM ) is an important emerging trend in clinical medicine but has received little or no attention in the dental literature . Decision aids can play a useful role in SDM by helping patients and clinicians choose among reasonable alternative treatment options . The purpose of this study was to develop and test an Endodontic Decision Board ( EndoDB ) for chairside use to help clarify treatment alternatives , benefits , risks , prognosis , and costs when root canal therapy or extraction of a tooth was indicated . The hypothesis was that the use of the EndoDB would lead to improved patient knowledge , greater satisfaction with the decision-making process , and no difference in anxiety when compared to the st and ard discussion and informed consent process ( usual care ) . The EndoDB was tested in a r and omized controlled trial in a postgraduate endodontics clinic . After treatment discussion , a brief question naire was completed by the patient to measure knowledge , satisfaction , and anxiety .  Patients in the EndoDB group ( n=32 ) demonstrated a small , but statistically significant , increase in knowledge ( t-test ; difference=+0.37 ; p=0.03 ) compared to the  usual care group ( n=35 ) . There was no difference between groups in the measures of satisfaction or anxiety ( Mann-Whitney U-test ; p>0.05 ) . Decision aids may emerge as a useful tool to facilitate SDM and evidence -based clinical practice
We have identified efforts by research ers to investigate interventions which seek to improve information delivery and consideration of information to enhance  informed consent .
The interventions used consistently improve patient knowledge , an important prerequisite for informed consent .
This is encouraging and these measures could be widely employed although we are not able to say with confidence which types of interventions are preferable .
Our results should be interpreted with caution due to the high levels of heterogeneity associated with many of the main analyses although we believe there is broad evidence of beneficial outcomes for patients with the pragmatic application of interventions .
BACKGROUND Achieving informed consent is a core clinical procedure and is required before any surgical or invasive procedure is undertaken .
However , it is a complex process which requires patients be provided with information which they can underst and and retain , opportunity to consider their options , and to be able to express their opinions and ask questions .
There is evidence that at present some patients undergo procedures without informed consent being achieved .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects on patients , clinicians and the healthcare system of interventions to promote informed consent for patients undergoing surgical and other invasive healthcare treatments and procedures .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Informed consent is an important ethical and practical part of patient care .