Patients’ preferences for information in bariatric surgery

Background: The decision to undergo bariatric surgery is multifactorial and made both by patient and doctor. Information is of the utmost importance for this decision. Objective: To investigate the bariatric surgery patient's preferences regarding information provision in bariatric surgery. Setting: A teaching hospital, bariatric center of excellence in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Methods: All patients who underwent a primary laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy between September 2013 and September 2014 were approached by mail to participate. A questionnaire was used to elicit patient preferences for the content and format of information. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinicopathologic factors, and psychologic factors were explored as predictors for specific preferences. Results: Of the 356 eligible patients, 112 (31.5%) participated. The mean age was 49.2 (±10.7) years, and 91 (81.3%) patients were female. Patients deemed the opportunity to ask questions (96.4%) the most important feature of the consult, followed by a realistic view on expectations—for example, results of the procedure (95.5%) and information concerning the consequences of surgery for daily life (89.1%). Information about the risk of complications on the order of 10% was desired by 93% of patients; 48% desired information about lower risks (.1%). Only 25 patients (22.3%) desired detailed information concerning their weight loss after surgery. Conclusion: Bariatric patients wished for information about the consequences of surgery on daily life, whereas the importance of information concerning complications decreased when their incidence lessened.