Review of Consent Practices for Surgical Procedures at Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, South South Nigeria

Informed consent is a fundamental patient right and a legal and ethical requirement for all surgical procedures, yet the quality of consent practices in Nigerian public hospitals is inconsistently monitored. This study reviews the quality of consent documentation and process for elective and emergency surgical procedures at Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. A retrospective audit design is applied to 240 surgical case files over a 12-month period from 2022. Consent forms are evaluated for documentation of diagnosis, procedure planned, material risks disclosed, alternatives discussed, patient comprehension confirmation, witness signature, and time interval between consent and procedure. Structured interviews with 30 surgeons and 50 patients assess the consent process from both perspectives. SPSS is used for quantitative analysis, and qualitative themes are coded from interview data. Available medical ethics and consent literature from South South Nigeria identifies incomplete risk disclosure and inadequate patient comprehension assessment as the most frequently occurring consent quality deficiencies in tertiary and secondary level hospitals. The Nigerian Medical Council Ethical Guidelines and the GMC Consent Guidelines provide the normative reference. Findings will support the hospital's ethics committee in revising its consent policy and implementing structured consent training for junior medical staff. Keywords: informed consent, surgical consent, consent documentation, Bayelsa State, South South Nigeria.