Levels of Surgical Patients' Education Related to Surgical Interventions Among Patients in Saudi Arabia

Background: Patient education and counseling should simplify and clarify the condition, surgery, postoperative care, and potential complications. This study aimed to determine the levels of surgical patients' education regarding surgical interventions among patients in Saudi Arabia. Method: This was an online survey study that was conducted between January and May 2023 to determine the levels of surgical patients' education regarding surgical interventions among patients in Saudi Arabia. The study population was patients who underwent surgeries (elective and emergency) living in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire tool used in this study was developed based on an extensive literature review in the field of patients' education regarding surgical interventions. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of satisfaction with the callouts and the surgeon-consultant's communication quality. Results: A total of 1360 participants were involved in this study. Around 40.5% of the participants reported that they met the surgeon after diagnosing and recommending the issue. Almost 70.0% of research participants reported that the consultant surgeon personally explained a diagnosis or strategy to attain it and the surgical technique, method, and purpose before signing the informed consent. The majority of study participants reported that the consulting surgeon or a member of his surgical team explained the stages of reaching a diagnosis and the steps he/she will take to diagnose their condition (83.2%), discussed the diagnosis with them and how certain they are of the diagnosis (88.1%), described the surgery clearly and simply (85.5%), informed them of alternatives to surgical intervention (63.1%), and discussed the entire postoperative treatment plan (81.8%), informed them of possible postoperative complications (79.6%), used additional callout during the discussion (81.3%), and spoke to them after the surgery and before they left the hospital (69.2%). After a conversation with their doctors, 36.3% of study participants said they did not require an outside source to understand the diagnosis, operation, probable problems, treatment plan, and follow-up. Discussion "Just talk," sketching, and pictograms were the most popular callouts during patient education, with 78.3%, 22.3%, and 17.9%, respectively. Saudi participants were more likely to be satisfied with the quality of communication by the surgeon-consultant (p<0.05). At the same time, participants who live in the Southern area were less likely to be satisfied with the quality of communication by the surgeon-consultant (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study highlights the crucial role of surgeons in preoperative patient education as well as the significance of surgical team participation in this process. In order to increase patient knowledge, facilitate treatment decisions, and assure informed consent, it is necessary to establish guidelines and roles to improve surgeon-patient communication, increase patient and surgeon awareness, nurture patient concern expression, and encourage non-medical patient participation.