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In his new book, “I Need an Operation...Now What? A Patient's Guide to a Safe and Successful Outcome,” Thomas R. Russell, MD, FACS, the Executive Director of the American College of Surgery, advises patients to ask 10 questions before having surgery:
- Is this operation absolutely necessary and what could happen if I choose to forego it?
- What are the likely long-term effects of this procedure?
- Are you Board certified in the surgical procedure you’ll be performing on me?
- Do you perform this procedure on a regular basis?
- Do you plan to do this procedure in a hospital or in your office?
- How do other patients with health factors and surgical needs such as mine fare under your care?
- What are the potential complications I could face and are you prepared to handle them?
- What is the risk of infection?
- Could I die?
- What is my role as I recover from this procedure?
Dr. Russell says “Patients should know that they can improve their odds for a good outcome if they do their homework “up front.” In this book he also lists helpful pre-and post-operative tips for patients.
These questions are important parts of the informed consent form and MAG Mutual’s Risk Management Consultants recommend answering questions like these during the informed consent discussion to help prevent future malpractice claims. Research shows that informed patients make better decisions about their healthcare, have less anxiety, spend fewer days in the hospital, are more likely to “buy-in” with post operative care instructions and require few analgesics – prompting quicker recuperation.
