Patient Experience of Orthopaedic Surgery under Regional Anaesthesia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Retrospective Investigation of the Patient Experience of Orthopaedic Surgery under Regional Anaesthesia and the Influence of Anxiety and Coping Style
IRAS ID
151710
Contact name
Heather Buchanan
Contact email
Research summary
The study is being conducted in order to better understand how patients having orthopaedic surgery under regional anaesthesia find the experience of remaining awake throughout the duration of their operation. The number of surgical procedures which can now be conducted under regional anaesthesia is increasing, and due to the reduction in potential complications associated with surgery, improved recovery times and length of time spent in hospital, regional anaesthesia is often the preferred method of anaesthesia for health professionals. However, less is known about how patients feel about remaining awake throughout their surgery. Therefore, this research aims to better understand patients’ views, in particular their opinions about the type and amount of information received, levels of anxiety before and during the operation, the communication with health professionals and how their actual experience may have differed with their prior expectations. Patients tend to differ in terms of how they cope with medical situations, with some patients preferring to receive lots of information about their procedure whilst others prefer to receive less information and be distracted from what is happening. Currently it is unknown how patients’ coping style affects the experience of orthopaedic surgery under regional anaesthesia (if at all). In order to collect this information, an online questionnaire will be used which patients access once they have left hospital in the weeks following their operation. Responses will be used to examine patients’ experience of regional anaesthesia and how patients’ coping style and preference for information may be related to their experience.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0838
Date of REC Opinion
14 May 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion