Parental Educational Intervention to Facilitate Informed Consent for Pediatric Procedural Sedation in the Emergency Department: A Parallel-Group Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Obtaining valid parental informed consent for pediatric procedures in the emergency department (ED) is challenging. We compared a video-assisted informed consent intervention with conventional discussion to inform parents about pediatric procedural sedation in the ED. We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial using a convenience sample including the parents of children in the ED in whom procedural sedation for facial laceration was recommended. The video group watched an informational video. Conventional group participants received information from physicians during conventional discussion. The primary outcome was knowledge improvement of the video intervention compared with conventional discussion. The secondary outcome was parental satisfaction. Video and conventional groups comprised 32 and 30 participants, respectively. Mean knowledge scores of parents after intervention [±standard deviation] were higher in the video group (91.67 ± 12.70) than in the conventional group (73.33 ± 19.86). Knowledge score differences were significantly bigger in the video group (coefficient: 18.931, 95% confidence interval: 11.146–26.716). Video group participants reported greater satisfaction than conventional group participants. Parents’ comprehension of and satisfaction with the informed consent process for pediatric procedural sedation may be improved with the use of an educational video. Standardized approaches should be developed by healthcare institutions to better educate parents, facilitate treatment decisions, and boost satisfaction in the ED.