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Spinal phobia: survey results of patient attitudes and preferences regarding anesthesia
M B Sosis1, S M Parnass, R J McCarthy
1Department of Anesthesiology, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL.
Study Objective:
To determine unbiased patient preferences for either spinal or general anesthesia for upcoming surgeries.
Design:
Prior to contact with anesthesia personnel, a simple questionnaire was completed by surgical patients to determine their demographic characteristics and previous anesthetic experiences. Their concerns regarding a list of complications of general and spinal anesthesia and their preferences for general or spinal anesthesia if either method could be used were also determined.
Setting:
University-affiliated suburban community hospital.
Measurements And Main Results:
The survey was completed by 254 patients. A preference for general over spinal anesthesia was expressed by 80.2% of the patients responding. They expressed significantly more concerns regarding nausea/vomiting, sore throat, feeling sleepy, and death with general anesthesia than with spinal anesthesia. Concerns of back pain, nerve damage and paralysis were statistically related to spinal anesthesia.
Conclusions:
This survey shows a strong patient preference for general anesthesia and a phobia for spinal anesthesia.