Summary: | 碩士 === 長庚大學 === 醫務管理學研究所 === 97 === Aims: This study aims to explore patient experience of surgery in depth, with respect to informed consent, information needs, and decision preferences. Methodology: We performed qualitative interviews to 31 patients at the general surgery department in a Medical Centre. Among these patients, 13 were suffered from Hernia, 13 were Gallstone Disease, 3 were Breast Tumor, 1 was Gastro-intestinal stromal tumor, and 1 was Fisrul. Interviews were recorded, responses transcribed and themes extracted with the aim of assimilating individual experiences. Transcript analysis identified three principal themes: preoperative emotional status, medical decision preference, and information needs. Results: A majority of patients felt anxious and uncertain prior to operation. The information provision helps to alleviate negative emotions and enhance decision making for some patients. With respect to information provision, patients played passive roles for getting general medical knowledge. However, they needed more information relevant to surgical procedures. In terms of medical decision preferences, most patients played a passive role and depended on their physician for decision making. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that there are individual differences with in terms of preoperative experiences, information needs, and decision preferences. In order to ensure the quality of informed consent, healthcare providers need to take individual differences into account.
|