Understanding patient-reported knowledge of hernia surgery: a quantitative study

Rosselló Jiménez, Daniel; López Cano, Manuel; Rodrigues Gonçalves, Victor; Verdaguer-Tremolosa, Mireia; Saludes Serra, Judit; Bravo-Salva, Alejandro; Pereira Rodríguez, José Antonio

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10029-021-02521-6

Understanding patient-reported knowledge of hernia surgery: a quantitative study

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Roselló Jiménez D, López-Cano M, Gonçalves VR, Tremolosa MV, Serra JS, Bravo-Salva A, et al. Understanding patient-reported knowledge of hernia surgery: a quantitative study. Hernia. 2022 Jun; 26(3):761-68. DOI: 10.1007/s10029-021-02521-6

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this study was to gather information on patient-reported knowledge (PRK) in the field of hernia surgery. Methods: a prospective quantitative study was designed to explore different aspects of PRK and opinions regarding hernia surgery. Patients referred for the first time to a surgical service with a presumed diagnosis of hernia and eventual hernia repair were eligible, and those who gave consent completed a simple self-assessment questionnaire before the clinical visit. Results: the study population included 449 patients (72.8% men, mean age 61.5). Twenty (4.5%) patients did not have hernia on physical examination. The patient's perceived health status was "neither bad nor good" or "good" in 56.6% of cases. Also, more patients considered that hernia repair would be an easy procedure (35.1%) rather than a difficult one (9.8%). Although patients were referred by their family physicians, 32 (7.1%) answered negatively to the question of coming to the visit to assess the presence of a hernia. The most important reason of the medical visit was to receive medical advice (77.7%), to be operated on as soon as possible (40.1%) or to be included in the surgical waiting list (35.9%). Also, 46.1% of the patients considered that they should undergo a hernia repair and 56.8% that surgery will be a definitive solution. Conclusion: PRK of patients referred for the first time to an abdominal wall surgery unit with a presumed diagnosis of hernia was quite limited and there is still a long way towards improving knowledge of hernia surgery.