Shared Decision-Making in Anesthesia in the Indian Context: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Patient-centered Care
• Surgical Decision-Making

Background:

• Patient involvement is crucial in modern evidence-based medicine.
• Shared decision-making enhances patient care and satisfaction.
• Anesthesia technique selection is a key area for patient engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient involvement in choosing anesthesia techniques for elective single-limb surgery.
• To compare patient and clinician perspectives on shared decision-making.
• To identify patient preferences for anesthesia during limb surgery.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study at a tertiary care institute.
• Utilized standardized questionnaires (SDM-Q-9 for patients, SDM-Q-Doc for doctors).
• Assessed demographic details, anesthesia preferences, and shared decision-making levels.

Main Results:

• 60% of patients preferred a passive role in anesthesia decision-making.
• General anesthesia was initially preferred, but spinal anesthesia preference increased for lower limb surgery post-evaluation.
• Patients reported higher perceived shared decision-making (84.44%) than clinicians (71.11%).

Conclusions:

• Most Indian patients favor a passive role in anesthesia technique selection.
• A discrepancy exists between patient and clinician perceptions of shared decision-making.
• Enhancing patient engagement in anesthesia decisions requires further investigation and tailored approaches.