Are patients' sedation preferences at gastroscopy influenced by preceding patients' decisions?

When patients choose sedation or no sedation for gastroscopy, it is unknown whether the decision and experience of preceding patients on the same endoscopy list influence such decisions.

To address this question in an endoscopy unit, where pre- and postprocedure patients are free to communicate.

The order and sedation decisions of 503 out-patients attending diagnostic gastroscopy lists were analysed. One hundred patients completed a preprocedural questionnaire about sedation preferences.

Three hundred and fifteen (63%) patients chose no sedation. Men were more likely to be unsedated, 170 (72%), than women 158 (59%) (chi(2) = 9.1, P < 0.01). Age did not influence decisions. If the first patient on an endoscopy list requested sedation, 36% of subsequent patients were also sedated. This was similar to 38% of subsequently sedated patients on lists where the first patient was unsedated. Similar proportions of subsequent patients requested sedation when comparing lists where the first two patients were both sedated or both unsedated and when comparing lists where the first three patients were all sedated or all unsedated. Ninety per cent of the patients completing preprocedural questionnaires had made sedation choices before arrival; the remaining undecided patients had unsedated endoscopies.

Patients' sedation decisions are not influenced by preceding patients' decisions. Most patients attending for out-patient gastroscopy have already decided about sedation.