Desire for perioperative information in adult patients: A cross-sectional study

Study Objective: To identify which perioperative information outpatients want from their anesthesiologist. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Outpatient center. Patients: 197 ASA physical status I and II patients undergoing outpatient surgery. Interventions: A questionnaire examining for ''desire for information.'' Measurements and Main Results: Demographic data including age, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and history of previous surgery were obtained. Trait, situational anxiety, and coping strategy were assessed using a validated behavioral instrument and a questionnaire adopted from previous studies conducted in Australia, Scotland, and Canada. Each questionnaire contained 14 statements regarding specific perioperative details. An index of the overall patient desire for information (PDI) was calculated for each subject. More than 85% of subjects gave a high priority to being informed for all the 14 items. Scores on the overall index were found to be higher for females than for males (32 +/- 6 vs. 30 +/- 6; p = 0.03), and this finding persisted in a multivariable model that also included coping strategies and anxiety (DF = 1,175, F = 4.6, p = 0.01). Subjects also had higher PDI scores if a first degree relative had a history of previous surgery (33 +/- 5 vs. 31 +/- 6; p = 0.007). On analysis of individual questionnaire items, Latino Americans were significantly less likely than European Americans or African Americans to desire perioperative information (p < 0.05). Similarly, females had a significantly higher desire for information than males. Subjects who were divorced demonstrated a higher desire for information than did single or married subjects. Conclusions: Ethnicity, gender, coping mechanism, marital status, and a history of previous surgery in a relative have been identified as predictors for the desire for information. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Science Inc.