The attitude of the general public towards preoperative assessment and risks associated with general anesthesia

Abstract

Purpose: To survey the general public's attitude towards preoperative assessment and commonly perceived fears about general anesthesia. Methods: A province wide telephone survey was conducted in Alberta. General and regional anesthesia were defined, a scenario involving major knee surgery was described, and participants were asked to choose between regional and general anesthesia. Respondents used a seven-point scale to rate the importance of seeing an anesthesiologist preoperatively and were questioned about the timing of such a visit. Attitudes towards commonly perceived fears associated with anesthesia were also assessed. Results: A total of 1,216 people were surveyed. Over 30% of respondents felt that it was very important to see an anesthesiologist preoperatively, with a total of over 60% attributing a high degree of importance to this. Fifty percent felt that this assessment should occur on the day prior to surgery. A preference for regional or general anesthesia was not expressed in the situation. Approximately 20% of respondents were very concerned about brain damage, waking up intraoperatively and memory loss. Twelve percent were concerned about dying intraoperatively. Nine percent expressed concern about postoperative pain, with 12% reporting being concerned about nausea and vomiting. Conclusions: The general public considers anesthetic assessment on the day prior to surgery an important part of preoperative preparation. Fears of brain damage, death and intraoperative awareness associated with general anesthesia remain prevalent, suggesting that preoperative education of patients should address these concerns. The general population was less concerned about realistic fears such as nausea, vomiting and postoperative discomfort.