A survey of patient response to preoperative surgical assessment.

An anonymous questionnaire-based study was devised to examine the role of preoperative assessment of patients by pre-registration surgical house officers. One hundred and eight patients awaiting elective surgery were entered into the study. The main outcome measures were the proportion of patients who felt they had received a satisfactory explanation concerning the risks and benefits of their intended operation at a preoperative assessment clinic (PAC). Of the patients who believed that details of their operations had been explained to them, more than one-quarter cited the PAC as the source. More than 25% of patients who stated that the benefits of their operation had been explained cited the PAC as the source; 45% of patients who believed the risks of their surgery had been provided felt the PAC had been the only source of this explanation. It was concluded that preoperative assessment clinics are an efficient and effective means of providing patients with valuable information about their operation.