Patient Attitudes and Awareness of Anesthesia Risks and Perioperative Instructions in Preoperative Anesthesia...

To meet the rapidly growing demand for digestive endoscopies and daytime surgeries, the setup of preoperative assessment clinics is increasing explosively in China. This study aims to explore patient attitudes to patient education and to assess patient awareness scores regarding informed consent and perioperative instructions in preoperative anesthesia clinic, as well as to evaluate the preference of current patient education tools.

A cross-sectional study was conducted across five hospitals. A 37-item digital questionnaire was administered to patients who attended preoperative anesthesia assessment clinics and underwent digestive endoscopies between September 1 and September 20, 2024. Awareness scores were calculated as the sum of correct responses to 15 questions assessing perioperative knowledge, with a total score ranging from 0 to 15, and higher scores indicating greater awareness.

A total of 1300 participants were included in the study. Over 97% of the patients reported a positive attitude to the preoperative assessment clinic. Approximately 20% of patients reported poor recall of the information provided by anesthesiologists. Mean awareness rates were 51.2% for preoperative precautions, 62.7% for anesthesia-related risks, and 56.7% for postoperative precautions, with an overall awareness score of 8.37 ± 4.2 points. Higher awareness scores correlated with higher education levels (p < 0.05), shorter intervals (≤1 week) between clinic visits and procedures (p < 0.05), and the use of multimedia and interactive educational methods (p < 0.05).

Sole reliance on preoperative anesthesia assessment clinics for patient education on informed consent and perioperative instructions is inadequate. We recommend a multimodal, patient-centered approach that accounts for educational background, integrates periodic reinforcement, and employs diverse educational tools, including multimedia and interactive strategies, to optimize information comprehension and retention.