Information about surgery: What does the public want to know?

Background: Informed consent has become an important part of medical practice. The aim of the present study was to determine what the public prefers to know before an operation and to establish some order of priority on that information. Methods: A questionnaire was developed from 12 pieces of information each developed into a statement. There were two sections to the questionnaire. The purpose of the first section was to assess the priority that participants place on each statement of information, and the purpose of the second section was to assess the preference to knowing that statement of information. Results: According to priority the four most important statements were options for treatment; risks ('common'); the operator ('meeting the surgeon'); and surgical technique. The four statements with the highest percentage of 'prefer to know' responses were recovery time; options for treatment; legal rights; and the operator ('meeting the surgeon'). Conclusions: The present study has identified priorities that the public assign to different aspects of preoperative information. The public has a high degree of desire for this information. The present study gives further insight into what information the public would like surgeons to share with them in preoperative consultations.