Health literacy and anesthesia: patients' knowledge of anesthesiologist roles and information desired in the preoperative visit.

Study Objective: To assess patients' knowledge of the role of the anesthesiologist and to identify information patients desire during the preoperative visit.

Design: Self-administered structured survey evaluation.

Setting: Preoperative Evaluation Clinic at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

Patients: 502 adult surgical patients scheduled for elective surgery.

Measurements: A survey was designed and administered to patients in the preoperative clinic to assess their knowledge of the job descriptions and roles of anesthesiologists. The survey also included questions about information that patients desire before anesthesia and surgery.

Main Results: The survey was distributed to 502 patients, 500 of whom (99%) completed the survey. Seventy-four percent (346/466) of respondents were educated at or above the college level. The majority (377/460; 82%) of patients in this study had adequate or high health literacy levels. Four hundred sixteen of 486 (86%) respondents knew that an anesthesiologist was a doctor specializing in anesthesia. However, the roles of anesthesiologists throughout the hospital system were not well known. Ninety-six of 475 (20%) patients knew that anesthesiologists may work in pain management clinics, 80 of 470 (17%) patients knew that anesthesiologists may work in intensive care units, but only 59 of 472 (13%) patients knew that anesthesiologists may transfuse blood during surgery if needed.

Conclusion: Despite the high level of education and health literacy in this group of patients, many were uninformed about the roles of anesthesiologists. Patients expressed interest in receiving a broad range of information during the preoperative visit. An educational booklet was the preferred method to provide this information.