Attitudes of the patients and their families towards cancellation of anesthesia and surgery in hypertensive patients.
BACKGROUND
Pre-operative hypertension which is a common cause for cancellation of scheduled surgery is not merely a medical consideration. Understanding the patients' and their families' attitudes towards this issue may help develop an efficient system of qualitative management and promote the utilization of medical resources in a hospital.


METHODS
Questionnaire of the study regarding the attitudes towards pre-operative hypertension and cancellation of scheduled surgery was answered through interviews by the patients and families admitted in a rural hospital in early 2003.


RESULTS
A total of 189 people were interviewed. Over 42% of interviewees said that cancellation of scheduled surgery in hypertensive patients was acceptable. Nearly 43% felt that such a cancellation did not cause any loss to patient. However, less than 12% of respondents could accept the occurrence of a post-operative cardiovascular complication as a reasonable event even though most of them acknowledged that a hypertensive patient was not a good risk for surgery. If any loss or complication occurred, more than half of them thought that it was the surgeon's fault.


CONCLUSIONS
Most patients and families in this rural area accept case cancellation rather than tempt the suffering of a post-operative cardiovascular complication. Developing a standard guideline for postponement of anesthesia and surgery in hypertensive patients may help reduce the variability in practising and management, with resultant increase of operating suite efficiency.
Fung
Bill King-Piu
BK
Department of Anesthesia, Puli Christian Hospital, Nantou, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Yu
Yu-Yuan
YY
Lin
Rose Su-Jung
RS
D000328:Adult; D000758:Anesthesia; D001290:Attitude; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative