Anaesthesia-Related Internet Search: A Survey with Turkish Participants

Objective: The Internet may facilitate active participation of the patient in specifying the priorities of disease management and improve rehearsal for awaiting interventions. In this study, we sought to assess the relationship of Internet use with the anaesthesia-related variables. Methods: A 15-question survey was formed involving questions about demographics, Internet use habits and awareness of the planned interventions. A previous online search for anaesthesia and topics of search were specifically asked. Searching for anaesthesia on the Internet was determined as the primary end-point. Results: One-hundred and fifty-seven patients (41.1 ± 14.4 years, 63.1% female) responded to our survey. The ratio of the participants who had previous experience of anaesthesia was 62.4%. Seventy-nine percent of the subjects had an Internet access frequency of couple of times a week or more often. However, only 39.5% (n = 49) of those specifically searched about anaesthesia on the Internet. Individuals who searched for anaesthesia on the Internet were younger and used to be online everyday. Regional anaesthesia was more frequently preferred method in this group. However, previously discussed anaesthesia issues with the surgeon were designated as the only closely associated variable of the primary end-point (OR = 0.25, 95% CI [0.102-0.616], P = .003). Conclusion: Possibly due to local cultural myths, our participants were more eager to get answers to their concerns about anaesthesia when compared with their counterparts in previous reports. Although Internet search habits played a role in this sense, the entity of “online search for anaesthesia” was closely associated only with having the surgeons’ ideas about anaesthesia procedure.