Patients' attitudes toward negative appendectomies and surgery for suspected appendicitis: a qualitative interview...

Area of Science:

• Surgical Patient Experience
• Qualitative Health Research

Background:

• Appendectomy is a common surgical procedure for appendicitis.
• Occasionally, patients undergo surgery for appendicitis but have a normal appendix removed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate patient perspectives on undergoing surgery for appendicitis when the appendix is found to be normal.
• To explore patient involvement in treatment decisions regarding normal appendix removal.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study adhering to the COREQ guideline.
• Semi-structured interviews with 15 participants who had a normal appendix removed or a negative appendectomy.
• Content analysis of verbatim interview transcripts.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: discovering histopathology results, views on normal appendix removal, limited shared decision-making, and anxiety regarding anesthesia and burst appendix risk.
• Patients reported sparse pre- and post-operative information.
• Participants were unaware of histopathology findings and not involved in decision-making.

Conclusions:

• Patients experienced a lack of information and involvement in decisions regarding their appendectomy.
• Anxiety about anesthesia and the risk of a burst appendix were significant concerns for participants.
• Improved communication and shared decision-making are needed for patients undergoing appendectomy.