Transfusion
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Ninety-two hospitals in a three-state mid-Atlantic region were surveyed to determine their policy toward obtaining written informed consent for transfusion and to examine the content of written consent documents and the process by which consent is obtained. Of 81 hospitals responding, 50 (62%) required written informed consent. Hospitals with fewer than 200 beds were more likely to require written informed consent. ⋯ Alternatives to allogeneic transfusion were mentioned infrequently; eight hospital forms listed autologous transfusion options and only two mentioned designated donation. The reading level required to comprehend 34 consent forms submitted was grade 14.6, which has been attained by only 23 percent of the adult United States population. Although the majority of respondent institutions require written informed consent, those forms, per se, do not document that the fundamental tenets of informed choice have been applied to the decision to transfuse blood.