Introduction
The study focuses on women who undergo a hysterectomy in Mississippi without consent law. While hysterectomy is one of the complicated procedures that may result in serious damages to the reproductive systems as well as fatalities, most states including Mississippi have not instituted a comprehensive informed consent law.
The comprehensive informed consent law is aimed at providing women with an opportunity to understand the available surgical procedures apart from a hysterectomy. The study is critical in understanding the feelings and experiences of women who have undergone the surgical procedure without the comprehensive informed consent law not only in Mississippi but also across various states in the United States.
Besides providing a summary of the research literature and describing the gap in knowledge on the concerned topic on the background, this chapter will state the research problem and provide a clear statement that connects the problem being addressed and the focus of the study. In addition, the chapter will state the research questions and discuss the theoretical or the conceptual framework on which the study is based.
Background of the Study
Hysterectomy is one of the major health problems facing women in the United States (Wu, Wechter, Geller, Nguyen & Visco, 2007). Studies indicate that about 40% of women globally would undergo a hysterectomy at an average age of 64 years (Qamar-Ur-Nisa, Memon & Shaikh, 2011). In the United States, the average age of women who have undergone hysterectomy is 60 years (Wu et al., 2007).
Further, studies indicate that about 25% of women in the United States have undergone the surgery due to reproductive complications such as severe virginal bleeding, uterine fibroids, and cervical cancer. In most cases, the main objective of hysterectomy is to relieve pain and enhance the quality of life (Marks & Shinberg, 2007).
While hysterectomy is not new, it is widely applied without a legal framework controlling the consent of women who undergo the procedure (McPherson, Herbert & Judgeetal, 2005). In particular, most states have not established comprehensive consent statutes that act as a cover against potential dangers of the hysterectomy. Besides, most states lack a policy framework aimed at offering women and physicians an increased opportunity to provide information and enhance the understanding of the dangers associated with the procedure (McPherson et al., 2005).
Recent studies that have been conducted focuses on the dangers and consequences of the surgical procedure. However, few studies have been conducted on a hysterectomy concerning the legal framework controlling the consent of women who undergo the surgical procedure. Therefore, this study will fill the missing data on the study of hysterectomy about the lack of policy and comprehensive consent statutes that offer protection against potential dangers of the surgical procedure.
Problem Statement
High mortality rates are normally associated with hysterectomy. Studies indicate that about 120 in 1000 women who undergo the procedure die due to related complications (Butt, Jeffery & Van DerSpuy, 2012). As a result, hysterectomy should only be conducted in extreme cases such as uncontrollable virginal bleeding, complications arising from childbirth, and severe uterine complications (Marks & Shinberg, 2007). Besides, localized illnesses are the main cause of hysterectomy in the United States (Magon & Chauhan, 2012).
Despite incessant cases of hysterectomy, most states have not enacted consent laws aimed at protecting against potential dangers of the surgical procedure. Moreover, legal frameworks aimed at educating women concerning the potential risk of undergoing hysterectomy are lacking (Jianjun, Yan, Xiujing & Biru, 2013). Regardless of the increased number of women undergoing the surgery in Mississippi, the state is deficient in comprehensive informed consent law aimed at providing women with the opportunity to understand the alternatives that are available for hysterectomy.
Previous studies have focused on issues concerning the consequences of the surgical procedure. Besides, the most recent studies indicated that the decisions of women undergoing the surgical procedure differ greatly between the states that have enacted the comprehensive informed consent statute and those that lack the law. Even though the study focuses on the case of Mississippi, the research will provide data that will be applied generally in all states that have not enacted the comprehensive informed consent law.
The Purpose of the Study
The study tends to explore the decision-making processes of women in Mississippi who have undergone a hysterectomy in the absence of comprehensive informed consent. In particular, the study aims to examine the attitudes and beliefs of women in Hinds County, Mississippi, who have undergone hysterectomy without any comprehensive law concerning their informed consent.
Besides, the study will identify the perceptions and new ideas emerging from the life experiences of women who have undergone a hysterectomy in the absence of comprehensive informed consent law. The study will utilize the Health Belief Model (HBM) to explain the behavioral aspects of patients based on the principles of individual perceptions (Bellamy, 2004). In addition, the study will primarily apply the phenomenological approach, which is utilized extensively to gather more information concerning individual perceptions through qualitative research methods (Creswell, 2013).
Since the main purpose of the study is to examine the beliefs and attitudes of women in Hinds County, the study will fully utilize the interview to gather the information. The interview will focus on the participants’ personal experiences and a detailed account of the occurrences of women who have undergone hysterectomy.
Research Questions
Upon completion of the study, the following questions will be answered
- What are the perceptions of women who have undergone hysterectomy without prior awareness of comprehensive informed consent law?
- What are the new ideas that emerge from the life experiences of women who have undergone a hysterectomy in the absence of comprehensive informed consent law?
Theoretical Framework
The Health Belief Model (HBM) guides this study. The theory is often applied to explain the behavioral aspects of patients based on the principles of individual perceptions (Bellamy, 2004). Initially, HBM was developed to provide explanations on the reasons for the failure of patients to participate in preventive care and treatments.
Besides, HBM is one of the behavioral theories that have been widely applied in explaining the behaviors of an individual concerning perceptions concerning personal vulnerability to infections. In addition, the theory is based on the principle of individual perception of personal health-related issues. The theory asserts that individuals make decisions based on perceived medical care (Fredericks, 2013).
HBM is critical in explaining the experiences of women who have undergone a hysterectomy in Mississippi by exploring how the absence of the comprehensive informed consent law affected the participants’ decisions to undergo the surgery. The HBM is useful in answering the research questions and uncovering new areas that relate to the common incidents experienced by the participants.
References
Bellamy, R. (2004). An introduction to patient education: Theory and practice. Medical Teacher, 6(4), 359-365.
Butt, J. L., Jeffery, S. T. & Van DerSpuy, Z. M. (2012). An audit of indications and complications associated with elective hysterectomy at a public service hospital in South Africa. International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 116(2), 112–116.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry & research: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Fredericks, E. (2013). A qualitative study of women’s decisions not to have a hysterectomy. Qualitative Report, 18(5), 1-12.
Jianjun, Z., Yan, Z., Xiujing, G., & Biru, L. (2013).Psychological status of premenopausal women before and after hysterectomy. Healthmed, 7(8), 2472-2479.
Magon, N. & Chauhan, M. (2012). Editoreal. Sutotal hysterectomy: Has it come a full circle? International Journal of Clinical Cases and Investigations, 4(1), 1–4.
Marks, N. &Shinberg, D. (2007). Socioeconomic differences in hysterectomy: The Wisconsin Longitudinal study. American Journal of Public Health, 87(9), 1507-1514.
McPherson, K., Herbert, A. & Judgeetal, A. (2005). Psychosexual health 5 years after hysterectomy: population-based comparison with endometrial ablation for dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Health Expectations, 8(3), 234–243.
Qamar-Ur-Nisa, H., Memon, F. & Shaikh, T. A. (2011). Hysterectomy: an audit at a tertiary care hospital. The Professional Medical Journal, 18(1), 46–50.
Wu, J. M., Wechter, M. E., Geller, E. J., Nguyen, T. V. & Visco, A. G. (2007). Hysterectomy rates in the United States, 2003. Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 110(5), 1091–1095.