[Usefulness of an anesthesia information sheet before the preoperative visit]

The information patients receive about anesthesia in the preoperative period must be clear in order to assure their understanding and involvement in making decisions about proposed techniques. A sheet providing basic general information about anesthesia can prepare the patient for consultation with the anesthesiologist.

A questionnaire with 14 yes/no questions was designed for this prospective, descriptive study. We surveyed 184 consecutive patients referred for preanesthetic assessment before elective surgery in a general hospital on the outskirts of Barcelona.

The information sheet was judged good and necessary for obtaining informed consent by between 96 and 97% of the patients. A similar percentage judged the comprehensibility of the sheet to be good, although 15% did not correctly answer questions about matters that were covered by the sheet. Anxiety increased after reading the sheet for 12%, and 10% even began to tremble. Additional clarification was requested by 9%.

An information sheet improves comprehension of anesthetic procedures and facilitates informed consent. However, a need for further clarification is generated in a small proportion of patients and a substantial proportion believes the sheet caused greater fear. We therefore believe that information should be adapted to the particular requests and needs of individual patients.