Use of the Internet by Patients Undergoing Elective Hernia Repair or Cholecystectomy

Abstract

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

Use of the Internet and Ratings of Information Sources for Medical Decisions: Results from the DECISIONS Survey

“…Such low levels of decision-specific Internet use are consistent with other small-scale studies that have examined cancer screening but are much lower than reported use by other types of patients, including those diagnosed with prostate cancer, undergoing elective hernia repair, or cholecystectomy or genetic testing. [20][21][22][23] Furthermore, within the age group we studied, we found significant variation in Internet use for seeking health information by age, ranging from 38% for those aged 40 to 49 y to only about 14% for those older than 70 y. This negative association of age with use of the Internet is in line with other findings of lower Internet use among older cohorts.…”

Provision of Internet Information on Day Surgery and Inguinal Hernia Repair in UK Hospitals

“…1 In a consecutive series of 105 patients undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery, 31% with access to the internet used it to acquire information on their operation. 2 A similar picture exists in Germany with a reported 18% of patients using the internet prior to surgery. 3 In addition, the Department of Health (DH) has stated that 75% of all elective procedures should be performed as day cases.…”

“…A study of 105 consecutive patients undergoing either elective abdominal wall hernia repair or laparoscopic cholecystectomy found that of the 77% of patients with internet access, 31% used it to acquire additional information about their operation and that in 26% this caused worry or confusion. 2 There is a diversity of sources providing information in the UK but the NHS as the major provider of healthcare should also act as the main provider of this information. Availability and quality of information is also critical to the provision of day surgery as a service.…”

Patient Preferences for the Method of Delivery of Preoperative Patient Information

“…it is well known that the internet contains huge amounts of potentially misleading information that can add to confusion and stress if not properly accessed or interpreted. 8 Our study highlighted that the majority of patients wished to receive both a leaflet and details of internet-based information sites. However, again, there was a significant age divide, with those aged <50 years more willing to accept internet access advice only while those aged ≥50 wanted a combination of the two but, preferentially, the hard-copy surgical information leaflet.…”