Anticipatory guidance in elective ophthalmic surgery.

With respect to the preoperative ophthalmic patient, anticipatory guidance is a technique of informing the patient in a detailed way about all aspects of the upcoming intervention, including the need for surgery, the degree of pain and disability to be expected, type of anesthesia to be used, some information about the postoperative course, and the expected disability following surgery on either a temporary or a permanent basis. The purpose of anticipatory guidance is to permit the patient to make a better psychologic adaptation to a crisis situation and to relieve preoperative anxiety through information, resulting in easier postoperative recovery. In addition, anticipatory guidance and improved understanding between physician and patient may go far to reduce those misunderstandings that lead to malpractice actions subsequent to surgical procedures.