PCs are straightforward with few complications. Most patients improve clinically and the procedure can therefore be used as a definitive treatment in unfit patients or as a bridge to surgery in those who might subsequently prove fit for a definitive operation.
INTRODUCTION Patient-directed informationa vailable on the internet is not always regulated; it may be confusing and sometimes just overwhelming. We aimed to establish the proportion of patients undergoing two common surgical procedures, who searched the internet for information about their operations and to assess the usefulness of the information they received.PATIENTS AND METHODS At otal of 105 consecutive patients undergoing elective abdominal wall hernia repair (n =5 4) or laparoscopic cholecystectomy (n =5 1) in as ingle surgical firm were included in the study.P atients were counselled about their operation in pre-operative assessment clinics and standard trust information leaflets were provided without any mention of this study.P atients were then asked to complete aq uestionnaire on the morning of their operation.RESULTS All patients completed the questionnaire. Of the patients, 59% stated that they had access to the internet and 77% of these accessed the internet over 2haw eek. Of the patients with internet access, 31% used it to acquire additional information about their operations and 58% used internet search engines. Of the patients who searched the internet regarding their operations, 26% were confused and/or worried by the information they received. CONCLUSIONS As ignificant proportion of patients undergoing common surgical procedures used the internet and about onethird of them specifically sought information about their operation on the internet. Such information can cause worry and confusion in patients. Our study highlights the need for regulated, comprehensible, patient information on hospital websites to which patients should be directed.
TAMHANKAR MAZARI EVERITTR AVI
USE OF THE INTERNET BY PATIENTS UNDERGOING ELECTIVE HERNIA REPAIR OR CHOLECYSTECTOMYAnn RC oll Surg Engl 2009; 91:4 60-463
Stent implantation for GOO in this patient group is an established and preferable alternative to surgical intervention. Much of the treatment for malignancies of the upper gastrointestinal tract has now been centralised. Our data showed comparable results with published data for these procedures, with a high prevalence of success and low prevalence of major complications. It is of considerable benefit to these patients not to have to travel to a regional centre for stent implantation.
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