SURGICAL PATIENTS ATTITUDES REGARDING PARTICIPATION IN CLINICAL ANESTHESIA RESEARCH

We designed a questionnaire to identify the factors influencing both d ay of admission surgery (DAS) and ambulatory (AMB) patients in their d ecision whether to participate in and give informed consent for clinic al anesthesia research. On the day of surgery, 276 patients were appro ached to complete a questionnaire and a visual analog scale (VAS) to a ssess anxiety. The data collected were observational and are presented as percentages for each group (DAS and AMB). One hundred eighty-two p atient (60 DAS and 122 AMB) completed questionnaires. Both DAS and AMB patients desired 20-30 min to read a consent form. Preferred conditio ns for enrollment by both groups were as follows: interview at the tim e of preadmission testing; after consulting with their physician; in a private setting while dressed in street clothes; and with assurance t hat the investigator would also participate in the study, if eligible. Unacceptable conditions were as follows: research associated with any risk and interview in the operating room holding area. All patients r esponded that they were capable of making the decision whether to part icipate in research on the day of surgery. Most AMB and DAS patients f ound it acceptable to be recruited on the day of surgery, if approache d appropriately.