Effect of Visual Aids Added to Informed Consent on Patient Understanding and Anesthesia Awareness

This prospective cluster-randomized controlled study aims to evaluate whether visual support material provided in addition to the standard written informed consent form improves patients' comprehension of informed consent and their level of anesthesia awareness in an anesthesia outpatient clinic setting. Patients presenting to the anesthesia outpatient clinic will be allocated in clusters to receive either standard written informed consent alone or standard consent supplemented with structured visual support material. All patients will receive standardized verbal information delivered by the same anesthesiologist. Thirty minutes after the information session, comprehension of informed consent and anesthesia awareness levels will be assessed using a structured questionnaire administered in a standardized manner by a blinded anesthesiologist. The primary objective is to determine whether visual support enhances patient understanding of informed consent. Secondary objectives include evaluating its effect on anesthesia-related risk awareness and overall anesthesia knowledge.