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Abstract
Background
The aims of this paper were to assess the accuracy of patient information leaflets about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in England, and assess compliance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendations, and the principle of informed consent.
Methods
Freedom of Information Act requests were sent to 51 National Health Service Trusts for a copy of their information leaflet. These, and three Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) leaflets, were scored on a 40-item accuracy measure.
Results
Thirty-six Trusts (71%) provided leaflets. The number of accurate statements, from a possible 29, ranged from four to 20, with a mean of 12.8. The most commonly omitted accurate statements included: that previous treatments, including psychological therapy, should be tried first (mentioned by 12 Trusts); cardiovascular side effects (6); lack of long-term benefits (6); patients’ right to take 24 hours to consider giving consent (1); memory loss higher in women and older people (0). The number of inaccurate statements averaged 5.8, out of 11, and ranged from two to nine. The most common inaccurate statements included: ECT corrects biological deficits (28); misleading claims of very low mortality risk (28); minimization of memory loss (23); claims that ECT saves lives (22); claims of very high improvement rates (19). The current (2020) RCPsych leaflet contained seven inaccurate statements and scored worse than two previous RCPsych leaflets.
Conclusions
Information leaflets about ECT comply neither with NICE recommendations nor the principle of informed consent. Patients are being misled about the risks they are taking and the limited nature of ECT’s benefits.
Article usage
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| Apr 2024 | 67 | 1 | 2 | 70 |
| Mar 2024 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 34 |
| Feb 2024 | 110 | 3 | 0 | 113 |
| Jan 2024 | 36 | 43 | 2 | 81 |
| Dec 2023 | 39 | 5 | 2 | 46 |
| Nov 2023 | 66 | 2 | 4 | 72 |
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| Sep 2023 | 32 | 1 | 12 | 45 |
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| Jul 2023 | 39 | 49 | 6 | 94 |
| Jun 2023 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 29 |
| May 2023 | 31 | 6 | 6 | 43 |
| Apr 2023 | 93 | 1 | 2 | 96 |
| Mar 2023 | 227 | 3 | 6 | 236 |
| Feb 2023 | 123 | 6 | 3 | 132 |
| Jan 2023 | 398 | 21 | 2 | 421 |
| Dec 2022 | 120 | 18 | 13 | 151 |
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| Aug 2022 | 51 | 16 | 8 | 75 |
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| Apr 2022 | 74 | 5 | 0 | 79 |
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| Jan 2022 | 208 | 19 | 2 | 229 |
| Dec 2021 | 174 | 55 | 5 | 234 |
| Nov 2021 | 150 | 10 | 6 | 166 |
| Oct 2021 | 251 | 18 | 0 | 269 |
| Sep 2021 | 217 | 18 | 12 | 247 |
| Aug 2021 | 161 | 0 | 0 | 161 |
| Jul 2021 | 210 | 0 | 0 | 210 |
| Jun 2021 | 1212 | 0 | 2 | 1214 |
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