Assessment of the knowledge, attitude and practices of the informed consent process in oral healthcare among dental students in Makerere University Dental Hospital, Uganda

Abstract

Introduction: Informed consent is an ethical and legal component of healthcare. It ensures patient autonomy and allows patients to make decisions regarding their treatment. In dental care, informed consent is particularly important because most dental procedures are invasive. Since dental students are future dentists, they need to learn about their ethical obligations and accountability through the informed consent process as this is critical to the patient’s well-being. The present study aimed to determine dental students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices of informed consent for oral health care in Makerere University Dental Hospital, Uganda. Study Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study that was carried out at Makerere University Dental Hospital. Third, fourth, and fifth-year students (n = 102) pursuing a Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme took part in a survey. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices of informed consent for oral health care. Collected data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1, where it was cleaned, coded, and imported to STATA version 14 software for statistical analysis. Results Of the 102 participants, 65.7% were males. The mean age was 25 (SD = 3.21) years. The majority (90%) of the students had a high level of knowledge of the informed consent process. About 80% had a positive attitude towards informed consent and 85% most often practiced the informed consent process. Based on bi-variate analysis, training on informed consent, year of study, age, and sex were significantly associated with the informed consent process. However, there was no significant risk factor associated with informed consent in multiple logistic regression analysis. Conclusion The study findings highlighted high levels of knowledge, positive attitude, and practice of the informed consent process among the clinical dental students. Continuous in-service training for dentists and other oral healthcare workers on the informed consent process is highly recommended.