Informed consent in sinus surgery: link between demographics and patient desires.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate and understand differences in expectations according to patient demographics during the informed consent process for functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).


METHODS
Multi-institutional, cross-sectional survey design.


METHODS
Anonymous surveys were administered to patients in two tertiary academic centers with a chief complaints relating to "allergy and sinus" problems. Patients completed and eight-item questionnaire that assessed demographics and the nature and level of risks that patients wished to be informed of before FESS. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess for differences in patient desires related to FESS risks according to demographics.


RESULTS
Three hundred eighty-nine completed surveys were analyzed. Younger patients (P = .049), white patients (P = .0026), and more educated patients (P = .0033) wished to know about complications at the lowest risks levels (lowest incidence), regardless of severity. With regards to specific complications, black patients and patients with less formal education were less interested in being informed about the potential risks of orbital complications, cerebrospinal fluid leak, or possible need for revision surgery. Multivariate analysis confirmed that race, education, age were independently significant factors in determining response.


CONCLUSIONS
Demographic-related differences exist in patient's desires and expectations in the informed consent process for a sinus procedure. Physicians should be aware of these differences when counseling patients about sinus surgery. More research is needed to elucidate the factors that underlie the observed differences.
Taylor
Rodney J
RJ
Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Chiu
Alexander G
AG
Palmer
James N
JN
Schofield
Kim
K
O'Malley
Bert W
BW
Wolf
Jeffrey S
JS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013517:Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States