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The illusion of explanatory depth in patient consent

Eye volume 38, page 1223 (2024)Cite this article

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Ullrich et al. highlight the importance of informed consent discussions with patients, especially when considering vitreoretinal surgeries and eye removal procedures, where the risk of sympathetic ophthalmia may be a material consideration [1]. Consent with respect to sympathetic ophthalmia can be a vital topic [2] which can be further elucidated with patients through understanding of the concept of the “illusion of explanatory depth” [3].

The illusion of explanatory depth refers to the tendency of individuals to overestimate their understanding of complex concepts [3], which has important implications for the informed consent process, especially in intricate medical contexts like vitreoretinal surgery and the risk of developing sympathetic ophthalmia. Informed consent is a fundamental ethical principle especially, entailing patients’ entitlement to a thorough comprehension of the potential risks and benefits of a procedure [4]. Understanding how this cognitive bias may influence both patients and doctors may enrich the consent process. For example, this bias may mean that patients feel they have a greater understanding of a procedure and risks, than they truly do. Similarly, a doctor may feel they have a greater understanding of the circumstances and priority of a patient than is the case.

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References

  1. Ullrich K, Patel BCK, Malhotra R. Material risk: vitreoretinal surgery, evisceration, enucleation and sympathetic ophthalmia-where are we currently? Eye (Lond). 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-023-02562-4. Epub ahead of print.

  2. Australia. High C. Rogers v. Whitaker. Aust Law J. 1993;67:47–55.

  3. Rozenblit L, Keil F. The misunderstood limits of folk science: an illusion of explanatory depth. Cogn Sci. 2002;26:521–62.

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  4. Shah P, Thornton I, Turrin D, Hipskind JE. Informed Consent. StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia

    George Rarichan & Aashray Gupta

  2. Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia

    Stephen Bacchi & Weng Onn Chan

  3. Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia

    Stephen Bacchi

Authors
  1. George Rarichan
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  2. Stephen Bacchi
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  3. Aashray Gupta
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  4. Weng Onn Chan
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Contributions

SB, AG & WC formulated the initial concept for the manuscript. GR further developed the idea, wrote the initial draft and conducted revisions after SB, AG & WC reviewed and edited the draft. All authors have approved the final manuscript’s submission.

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Correspondence to George Rarichan.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Cite this article

Rarichan, G., Bacchi, S., Gupta, A. et al. The illusion of explanatory depth in patient consent. Eye 38, 1223 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-023-02825-0

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