Trust-building: Why Virtual Formats Threaten the Moral Ends of Surgical Informed Consent.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic forced a wide range of medical practices to virtual formats, including the preoperative informed consent practice. However, virtual informed consent persists despite the pandemic being largely considered resolved. The continued use of virtual formats relies on a problematic "information transfer" model of informed consent. We suggest a "trust-building" model of consent as a better conceptualization of what is occurring during the consent process. Highlighting how virtual formats might fail to fulfill this fuller understanding of consent on both interpersonal and systemic levels, we offer an ethical structure for physicians to navigate this novel virtual space.